Social Suicide
by Girly 411
Summary: Ryan meets the new girls, Cloe and Rachael, and discovers a strange secret about his family's past. When he finds out Rachael is his cousin and they are the heirs to the throne of Magicath, they decide whether or not to tell Sharpay. *Clyan and Zacachael*
1. New School

**Social Suicide!**

**Summary:** Ryan meets the new girls, Cloe and Rachael, and discovers a strange secret about his family's past. When he finds out Rachael is his cousin and they are the heirs to the throne of Magicath, they decide whether or not to tell Sharpay. Clyan and Zacachael

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical or anything in relation to it.

**FYI: 10/21/11:** **It has come to my attention that enough of the people reading this have assumed that, simply because I have characters with names unrecognizable from the main cast in the entirety of the **_**High School Musical**_** series, I have given myself a self-insert in one of them. And that has caused more than enough people to turn away thinking the story is written by another crazy fangirl who has sought a way to pair herself up with one of the main cast. I promise you that was never my intention, so allow me to correct you on that. I only meant for it to appear that way and I suppose I succeeded, huh?**

**The characters of Cloe and Rachael are based on a pair of interesting background characters I spotted during scenes such as the _Status Quo_ and audition scenes among various others in the first movie. I simply gave them personalities and one of those personalities happens to belong to my friend, Squeaky. I just provided names and background stories that I saw fit. The character of Theresa is actually an OC I created to fill a certain role that shall be discovered at a later point in the story. And upon request, I based her off another of my friends. Anyone with a personality resembling someone I know has only been upon that person's request, so don't blame me if you don't like it. I can only try my best to properly portray them here while remaining within the guidelines of a parody.**

**Alrighty, as for a quick explanation of which background characters I used before I continue my spiel: Cloe is the green-shirted hat-wearing girl sitting behind Alan and next to the shy auditioner in the audition scene (27:11). Rachael is the green-shirted girl dancing by the stairs as Sharpay and Ryan walk down them (right before Gabriella dumps her lunch on her) during _Status Quo_ (43:09).**

**Happy now that I've explained that and given you the exact moment I snapped the screenshot (on the DVD) so you can find these characters too? Of course, I could only find the Rachael character once throughout the whole movie… =( But I'm sure she's elsewhere too. *nods* I most probably haven't noticed.**

**She just doesn't stick out as much as the Cloe character does: I think the pink-shirted one in the background up top where Ryan and Sharpay are in _Status Quo_ (she's sort of near the stairs at one point in 41:40) is also the same character (though I could be wrong, since she isn't wearing a hat), she's definitely the yellow-shirted one in the callbacks scene (walking down the auditorium aisle in 1:19:32), and she also appears in the random auditorium segue scene (behind Troy in 52:03) leading into the part where Troy misses basketball practice.**

**I also realize that there were a lot of inconsistencies between my story and the first _High School Musical_ movie, plenty Crowning Moments of (Spelling) Fail, poor choice of words, horrid grammar, and other such offenses to the written language. Heheh… Well, I'll tell you a secret. That was all intentional.**

***gasp* 8O *= shocked face***

**Yeah… I got you good, huh? XD**

**As was stated in the first paragraph of this FYI, plenty of you have come across fanfictions that were so disgustingly hormonal and nonsensically sappy that you've wanted to bash the author's brains out or at least turn away from their work for good, correct? Well… This is a parody of that. Yeah, that means _EVERY _itty bitty detail in this fic, including author's notes and disclaimers all the way down to content, grammar, and writing style, was a complete and intentional parody. I figured I may as well tell you after approximately four years before I have even more accidental readers trying to take this story seriously. No, I'm not lying to save my arse… Trust me.**

**I kinda wanted to see how many people would read it and tell me it was great even though I knew it sucked. **_**Surprisingly**_**… no one really mentioned how horrid it was aside from one reviewer who actually began to point out the bit mentioned in the first paragraph. Heheh… I bow to accommodate that person's adequate observation skills as well as their outstanding courage. *bows deeply* Though I have a feeling there were other reviewers/readers who started to see the plot holes and realize how dumb the story was. Heheh… XD Yet **_**again**_**, surprisingly, none of them thought to point out how terribly written the piece was. Ah, well… I guess I proved my point about these types of fanfictions and subsequently those who read/enjoy them. That's why I decided to finally tell you. It was more of a test I felt like issuing really. XD As well as a supreme logic fail on my part (it would've been nice to tell you all sooner, huh?). =P** **But yeah… Enough jabbing at my Fridge Logic.**

**If you're interested in reading the revamped version (yes, with better grammar and such for your piece of mind) rather than this horrid one (the true parody), please go to my profile page and look for "Social Suicide: Revival" at the bottom of the page amongst my other stories. Thank you. If you choose _not_ to read it… I'll understand, though I do wish you'd give this story another slightly more serious try. I almost headdesked my brains out while going through it again, since I basically had to rewrite reality here (I had to rewrite this story backwards according to the movie "timeline", which makes less sense than the movie itself).**

**Though, I'll tell you one thing about the revamping… It'll be a lot funnier if you stick it out and read this version first. Trust me. It'll be worth it so long as you take a step back and drop the critical eye while reading this horridly accurate parody of all teen fanfictions that are written on the premise of premature out-of-whack hormones. You'll get your piece of mind after you stick this one out. But you don't have to. It's just a suggestion. =P**

**So, with that said, I think that would technically make the revamped version a parody of a parody… O_o Erm… maybe. But awesomer! Heheh… Yeah. Though, it would help to think of it as # 1½ in the parody "series". _This_ scarily accurate version is just # 1 in the "series". You'll see how that logic makes sense later on when and _if _you decide to read "Social Suicide: Revival". =P**

**It's about time I stick an Official Disclaimer in here, so here it is:**

_Warning:_This is a parody – it's meant to be laughed at – so please treat it as such. I do not expect anyone to take this seriously. Don't read it expecting to follow a serious story – that simply won't happen. This may include the use of stereotypical sappy lines, the overuse of incredibly lame dialogue and jokes that aren't funny, horrid grammar, massive spelling fails, poor quality sentence structure, filler chapters too short to deserve existence, the presence of one or more Mary Sues, incorrect characterization, sickeningly sweet romantic scenes, the pointlessly dramatic screaming of the word _no_ at the end of multiple chapters, unnecessarily repetitive and unwanted pda, whiney author's notes and disclaimers begging for reviews that aren't deserved, and other such stereotypes… Be wary as you read. One or more of the above may induce pukage. You have been warned. This _is _a parody.

**Prologue:**

A woman, in her 20's, sits at a writing desk in the darkness using only the light of one small candle. She is holding a quill in her hand and continues writing her last in a long line of letters.

"_Well, my dear."_ she wrote, _"I must bid you adieu. Do not worry; this is my last day in Arabia so I will see you soon. If by any chance we should be separated, my dear sister, we shall meet again someday. We might not meet in the next week or in the next year, but sooner or later we shall come together to save our home and our father. Use your powers well, my lovely Delilah, and take care of the genie in the lamp. I must go now, stay safe. Your worried sister, Princess Corinne."_

At that, the woman got up and put the letter, addressed to her sister, inside her pocket then ran out of the room and out into the dark streets. While she ran, she thought to herself, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

Chapter 1: New School

17 years later…

The grounds of East High were quiet and still. Classes were still in session and everyone was used to the schedule by now. Well, all but one girl.

Cloe was new at East High and had no idea where to go. She was sitting in English daydreaming. She was a freshman who joined the school halfway through the second semester.

It was her first day and everyone else had come back from winter break a while ago. She was daydreaming about the snow she missed so much. She had moved away from her old home, her old school, and her old friends. So far, she couldn't wait for school to end.

"Cloe!" the teacher called, releasing her from her thoughts. Miss. Darbis was very caught up in the theatre and took everything seriously. "Yes, Miss. Darbis." Cloe responded trying to sound confident. "Ah." She began, "I see you are new here, but the rules remain clear. You are to pay attention in class. We take the rules very seriously here at East High. No exceptions! Do you understand?"

She glared making adrenaline pump throughout Cloe's body. "Yes, Miss. Darbis." she breathed softly. Her face flushed a little, which was a very noticeable contrast to her normally pale skin. She had light brown hair that went just below shoulder length and she was no more than 5 foot 4. Here pale skin went see through whenever she was excited, nervous, or cold. And, right now, she was very nervous.

It happened a lot, especially at her old school. Cloe was average height and weight. Even though sometimes she felt a bit bigger or smaller depending on who she was around. Right now she was feeling very tiny. She looked down and noticed her veins were showing. She quickly tucked her arms and legs under her desk, as all the other students were staring.

"And I expect the rest of you to follow the rules as well." Miss. Darbis continued. The bell rang and Cloe was the first one out of the room. As she walked down the hallway, more and more students poured out of their classrooms.

'_Great'_ Cloe thought, _'My first day and I'm a shoe in for a detention with Miss. Darbis.' _It felt horrible to be the new girl in school. She was only 14, being the fact that her birthday had just passed, and most of the freshman class was already 15. She had heard about the school musical. There were many times she had wanted to sign up, but was too afraid of more humiliation. There was one other thing she was deathly afraid of.

"Hey!" a guy's voice called out from behind her. Then, someone's hand grabbed her shoulder. She gasped and froze. She quickly turned around and saw a familiar guy from her English class. "I'm Ryan. Ryan Evans." He pulled his hand away from her shoulder and offered it to her. She took it and they shook. He pulled it away as Cloe turned away from him and continued walking. Ryan followed her.

"So," he said to her while they walked, "I saw you met Miss. Darbis. She's kind of nice once you get to know her." Cloe nodded and kept walking. "You're new here. You know the girl in the back of the class? She got here the day school started after winter break." he continued, "Junior year is pretty tough and being new doesn't help." "_And_…" Cloe urged him to get to the point.

"_And_…I'm just saying that if you need someone to talk to, she'll be able to help." he finished, "Well… she's not the only one who's willing to help, if you need anything." Cloe stopped, turned to look at him, and said, "What do you want from me?" "Well, my sister and I always meet the new kids and try to help them…for lack of a better word…fit in properly." he answered. "Thanks, but no thanks." Cloe said and turned around to walk away.

Ryan got in front of her, stopping her. "Don't be like that." he told her, putting her his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes, "You're not afraid of my sister are you?" "Who?" Cloe asked. "You know, Sharpay." he answered. That last word rung in Cloe's ears. _'Sharpay?' _she thought, _'My biggest fear.'_

"Um. No." she stuttered, "Not at all. It's just that…" she removed herself from Ryan's grip, "…I have to go." She walked away and started to run. She turned a corner really quickly and collided with another person. "Ow." The girl's voice said. Cloe knelt in the spot on the floor where she'd landed. "I am so sorry." Cloe stated as she helped the girl pick up her books. "That's all right really. It's not a problem." the girl responded.

They looked up at each other both kneeling. The girl had long brown hair and was only slightly shorter than Cloe. She was wearing glasses and had an average waist size though Cloe was certain the girl was a bit under. "Hi, my name is Rachael." the girl said as she offered her hand. Cloe took it and said, "I'm Cloe." They smiled and released hands. Rachael grabbed her books and the girls stood up.

"So," Rachael questioned, "who were you running from?" "Ryan Evans." Cloe responded. "Really? I was running from Sharpay." Rachael squeaked. "Maybe Squeakers would be a better name for you." Cloe laughed. "Thanks." Rachael smiled, "And I can understand running from Sharpay, but why Ryan?" "Well, I really don't know why. If he's related to Sharpay, he can't be good news, right?" Cloe explained.

"What did he tell you?" Rachael asked curiously. "Well, he wanted to make sure that I fit in properly here. And that I should go to him, or Sharpay, or even that other new who sits in the back of my English. They're all Juniors." Cloe rolled her eyes. "Uh, oh." Rachael looked concerned. She grabbed Cloe's arm, made sure the coast was clear, and headed to the lockers with Cloe in toe.

"What?" Cloe asked a little worried, "Is that bad?" "Very. Sharpay is after me for the same reason. She practically runs this school." Rachael stated as they reached their lockers, which were coincidentally right next to each other, "They both attempt to get the school exactly how Sharpay sees fit." "Oh, I see." Cloe opened her locker and Rachael was already shoving books in hers, "You're saying, he wants to ensure that Sharpay's every command is fulfilled."

"Exactly. He's to get booted." Rachael closed her locker and turned to Cloe, "Cloe, Sharpay's getting him to set you straight. She figures that he'll get you to find a clique that fits and stick with it." They started walking down the hallway. "Is there an explanation as to why you're running from Sharpay?" Cloe asked suspiciously. "Have you_ seen_ Sharpay?" Rachael asked implying the answer.

"Yes, actually, I have." Cloe replied, "She's in my English class. Both she and Miss. Darbis scare me." "Ooh. You have to suffer with both of them?" Rachael sympathized, "Good luck." "So, this is what a day at East High is like." Cloe sighed as the two girls walked down the stairs onto the campus.

"I know. It's all part of a minor detail called our future." Rachael said, "Well, I've got to go. See you tomorrow by the lockers?" "Works for me." Cloe responded, waving, then added, "Squeakers." Rachael laughed, "That's kinda catchy. I'll have to come up with one for you." "You do that!" Cloe said as Rachael waved and walked towards her mother's car. Cloe sighed.

"How long do I have to put up with this stuff?" she wondered, "But, on the bright sight, I've made a friend and an enemy all in one day. That's quicker than at my old school." She watched Rachael get in the car and ride away. "I better walk home." She thought as she started walking across the campus.

She had just reached the sidewalk when she heard a familiar voice call at her, "Hey. Wait up." She looked over her shoulder to see Ryan a few feet behind her standing near a wooden table. Sharpay was witting there with a smug smile on her face. Ryan was waving to her. She turned around and ran away as fast as she could and wouldn't stop until she got home.

**(A/N) How was chapter 1? It was an idea I came up with one night. I'm not even sure I remember what I was thinking about when I decided to write this one. This is my first fic, so I would appreciate it if you would comment on it. Please, R&R!**


	2. Ryan and Sharpay

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical. (I wish I did)Chapter 2: Ryan and Sharpay

The next day, Cloe arrived earlier than she normally would have, only because she'd promised to meet Rachael. She walked up the stairs and through the huge doors. As she walked through the hallway to where her locker was, she had an odd feeling that someone was following her. She turned around, but no one was there. The school was full of very few people, as she was one of the first people there. She was very confused.

She turned around and kept walking. When she reached the hallway with her locker, she stopped and saw an all too familiar person waiting for her. It was none other than Ryan Evans. He was waiting alone and Cloe couldn't help, but wonder where Sharpay was. He smiled warmly. Cloe was very frustrated and about to cry, but decided not to.

She took a deep, shaky breath and continued walking to her locker. "Hey." Ryan said as she walked right by him, "So, have you found a place to sit at lunch yet?" "What do you want from me?" Cloe asked tired of his constant irritation and turned to him, "If it's money, I don't have any. If I did, I'd donate it to saving the whales! Just leave me alone! I don't want anything to do with whatever you and Sharpay are up to. So, just let me be." He stood there speechless as he watched her turn away from him, open her locker and start to grab some books.

"Hey, Angel!" Rachael called from behind them. "Angel?" Cloe turned to look at Rachael who had appeared at her locker. "Yeah, I worked on a name for you all night. Like it?" Rachael asked. "I do. In fact, I love it." Cloe responded. "Angel." Ryan said, "So, is that what they call you?" Cloe sighed and looked at Rachael, who shrugged and said, "It is now."

Cloe looked behind her and saw Sharpay walking in their direction. "Sharpay alert!" she told Rachael. "Oh, gotta go!" Rachael squeaked, "Um, good luck." "Right back at you Squeakers." Cloe replied watching her run in the opposite direction. "Squeakers?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Don't laugh, Drama Boy." Cloe stated quickly. She had just turned back to her locker when a hand with really sharp nails grabbed her shoulder and pulled her around.

She was facing Sharpay before she could blink. Sharpay tried to look behind Cloe, but feeling unsatisfied she just stood there pinning Cloe to the lockers by the shoulders. "Um…Sharpay. Are you…looking for something?" Cloe asked, then looked at Ryan who shrugged.

"Oh, don't be coy with me! Where's Squeakers?" Sharpay demanded. Cloe, spite of her fears, giggled and asked, "Who?" "Oh, you know who I'm talking about. And if you really were an angel, you'd tell me where she is." Sharpay intimidated. Cloe looked at Ryan and both pointed in opposite directions. "Oh, no mistake!" Sharpay screamed as she released her grip and walked away.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Cloe said, "She must have been the one following me this morning." "Could be." Ryan agreed. "So, if you're not part of Sharpay's plan to tackle the new kid, then why are you bothering me?" Cloe asked him. "Well, I really did mean that I would help you fit in properly here." Ryan admitted, "Don't feel bad. Sharpay picks on all new kids she doesn't like."

"What would you say she is? A drama queen?" Cloe asked. "That sounds about right." He responded, "I just hope your friend gets away safely." "If we don't see her by lunch, we'll know she got eaten." Cloe joked. "It's quite possible, actually." Ryan said, "Though, I'm not sure cannibalism is one of Sharpay's things." Cloe shook her head. "So, will I see you at lunch?" Ryan asked her, looking hopeful. Cloe closed her locker and looked at Ryan. "I'll be around." she said and walked away.

**(A/N) Hey…again. This is chapter 2 (if you hadn't noticed, which I bet you did). How was it? A little bit of a cliffy, right? Let me know if you liked it. R&R!**


	3. Reckless Rachael

Chapter 3: Reckless Rachael Disclaimer: I do not (take notice of the word 'not') own High School Musical! I do not own anything (except for my stories…just not the characters you recognize)! Stop asking me! I do not own anything that you recognize! That's final!Chapter 3: Reckless Rachael

Pretty soon the lunch bell rang and students poured into the cafeteria. Cloe brought her own lunch from home. As she entered the cafeteria, she noticed Rachael hiding behind a trash can near the door. Cloe walked over to it. "How much do you want to charge me for dumping garbage on private property?" Cloe joked to Rachael who looked up.

"Very angelic of you, Angel." Rachael said sarcastically. "Seriously, Squeaks, what's going on?" Coe asked, "Didn't you buy your lunch…or bring one?" "No, but I'm starving." Rachael said and stood up. "I'll give you half my sandwich." Cloe offered. "Oh, thanks. You're such an angel." Rachael thanked and gave Cloe a hug. "That's what they call me." Cloe responded, "Lets find a seat."

The two walked farther into the cafeteria. "Over here." A very familiar voice called distinctively to them. They looked at each other and said, "Ryan." They sighed and looked up to the seats overlooking the cafeteria. Ryan was waving at them. "Ooh. And he got us nice seats, too." Rachael cooed. "And don't worry, I'll protect you from Sharpay." Cloe teased. "Never doubted it for a minute." Rachael reassured. "Good." Cloe responded, "Lets go take our seats.

The girls walked over to the stairs used to get to the higher seats and climbed them. When they reached the top, they saw Ryan at the table a bit worried. "All right." Rachael laughed nervously, "Something's wrong." "Lets hurry." Cloe insisted. They ran over to where Ryan was sitting. "What's wrong?" Cloe asked. "Did something happen?" Rachael questioned as the girls sat down.

"No, everything's fine." Ryan reassured, but I think I can help get you guys to fit in so Sharpay will leave you alone." "Tell me!" Rachael demanded. "Calm down, Squeaks." Cloe insisted, "Go on." "You see," Ryan began, "all you have to do is join a club that will allow you to sit with the people you want to be with."

"Oh, you mean join a clique." Cloe rolled her eyes as she said this. "We don't want to join the cliques." Rachael said. "I know. But it would be only temporary." Ryan reassured. "Well, you see. Doing that would give Sharpay complete control over the entire school." Cloe pointed out. "Then, join a club you want to be in." Ryan persuaded, "Then we'll all win."

The girls looked at each other briefly. "We'll have to think about it." they said. "Promise?" he asked them. "We make no promises." Rachael laughed. "You may take that as a promise." Cloe stated. "You two must think you're so funny." Ryan said and began to eat his lunch. Cloe took out her Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich and gave half to Rachael. "Hilarious." they both stated.

**(A/N) This is a really short chapter. I'm sorry for that, but I I'm kind of new at this and had trouble breaking up this fic into chapters. I promise that I will try to make them much longer. R&R!**


	4. Drama Club

Chapter 4: Drama Club Disclaimer: Have I said this enough times yet? I do not own anything. I do not own High School Musical (even though I wish I did). I do not own Lucas Grabeel ('cause I love that kid…even though he is nine years older than me. That's sad). I am trying really hard not to break out in tears at that last statement.Chapter 4: Drama Club

After school, Cloe met Rachael by their lockers. "Hey, Angel." Rachael called as Cloe walked over to her. "Hey, Squeaks." Cloe sighed heavily. "What's up?" Rachael questioned a bit concerned. "We really do need to find a club." Cloe answered. "What? No." Rachael moaned, "We can't."

"Sharpay wants us to join a clique, right?" Cloe asked. "Right, but if we cave, she wins." Rachael pleaded. "Listen, do you do anything that relates to the theatre?" Cloe implied. "I dance." Rachael started to catch. "And I sing and act." Cloe continued. "And what are you suggesting?" Rachael smiled knowingly. "Here. I'll show you." Cloe told her. She grabbed Rachael's arm and led her down the hallway to club bulletin board. She stood in front of the drama club sign up sheet.

"See!" Cloe exclaimed. "I see it, but I don't believe it." Rachael raised an eyebrow with amusement. "Exactly and neither will Sharpay." Cloe stated proudly, "When we sign up, we'll be in Sharpay's clique, which will drive nuts." "That way, we'll be in a clique and still get Sharpay to lose." Rachael screamed excitedly.

"Plus, Darbis is the president and Sharpay and Ryan are co-presidents." Cloe added. "How's that good?" Rachael asked. "Ryan wanted us in a clique and he'll make sure Sharpay can't throw us out." Cloe answered. "Genius." Rachael compliment, "Let's sign up." She pulled out a pen and the two wrote their names on the drama club sheet. "Okay then, we'll show up tomorrow and Sharpay will flip." Cloe stated excitedly.

After they had finished getting books from their lockers, they walked outside onto campus. "Oh, give me your number so we can keep in touch out of school." Cloe realized. "Sure, and I'll need yours, too." Rachael said. They swapped phones and added their cell phone and home phone numbers. "Here you go." Cloe said returning Rachael's phone. "Thanks, Angel." Rachael said retuning Cloe's phone. "No problem, Squeaks." Cloe responded. The two put their phones in their pockets and sat at a table.

"Well, I think we've accomplished a lot." Rachael stated and smiled. "Maybe, but we'll have to see what happens tomorrow." Cloe reminded her. "That's true." Rachael agreed. "Hey girls." Ryan said as he walked over to them and sat down next to Cloe. "Drama Boy." Cloe and Rachael acknowledged. "So, you still have your sense of humor." He said again, "Have you thought about joining a club?" He raised an eyebrow at them expectantly. "Yes, yes we have." Cloe stated. "And?" Ryan urged then to continue.

"And…we joined one." Rachael stated calmly. "That's great!" Ryan praised, "Which one?" Cloe and Rachael looked at each other attempting not to laugh. Rachael couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. That started Cloe and, before they knew it, they were laughing hysterically.

"What?" Ryan questioned them with a smile. "Oh, nothing." Rachael giggled. "You'll find out tomorrow." Cloe laughed. "All right. What did you two do?" Ryan looked at them accusingly, "Never mind. If I did ask, then you'd probably tell me and why would I want that?" "You'll like it a lot, but Sharpay won't." Cloe said. "Much." Rachael added.

"We'll see about that." Ryan told them. "What's that supposed to mean?" Rachael asked. "It means, whatever you did, Sharpay is going to fix it. So, you might want to watch your backs." Ryan admitted, "But not from me. It's more from my sister." "Well, then. We'll just have to be careful." Cloe stated.

"Is that a promise?" Ryan asked standing up. "We make no promises." Rachael told him. "You may take that as a promise." Cloe smiled at him. "Hilarious." he said and walked away. The girls just looked at each other. Rachael's mom drove up to the sidewalk. "My mom's here." Rachael realized, "Want a ride?" "Sure." Cloe agreed.

They got up and walked over to the little red car. Rachael's mom rolled down the window. "Hey girls." She said to us with a smile. "Hey mom." Rachael greeted, "This is Cloe." "Hey, Cloe." Rachael's mom said to her, "I'm Mrs. Thomas." "Hi." Cloe said. "Mom," Rachael began, "can we give Cloe a ride home?" "Sure." Mrs. Thomas agreed, "That would be okay. Where do you live Cloe?" "Oh, not too far away. It's down the street, take a left, then a right, and two blocks down." Cloe told her. "No problem." She said, "Get in girls."

They both got in the back. "Thanks." Cloe told her. You're welcome." She responded. "So," Cloe said turning to Rachael, "what do you think Sharpay's face is going to look like tomorrow when we walk into the auditorium for drama club?" "I can imagine it now." Rachael answered.

"You girls joined drama club?" Mrs. Thomas asked, driving down the street. "Yeah." Rachael answered. "That's nice." she praised them, "I'm proud that you girls found a club together." "It's tomorrow after school." Rachael added. "All right. I'll pick you up after that tomorrow." Mrs. Thomas answered. "Oh, can Rachael stay at my house for a while today?" Cloe asked her. "Please, mom!" Rachael begged. "I guess." she answered.

"Yes!" they girls cheered and high fired. "Can Cloe stay at ours tomorrow?" Rachael asked. "That would be great." Mrs. Thomas responded cheerfully. "Thanks." Cloe told her. They turned the corner and stopped in front of Cloe's pink house. "Wow." Rachael said, "Nice colors. Ours is blue." "You girls have fun." Mrs. Thomas called as the girls got out of the car, "Call me when you want to come home, Rachael." "All right." Rachael responded.

"Lets go." Cloe said as they walked up the path to the house. When they reached the door, Cloe opened the door. The girls turned around and waved to Mrs. Thomas who waved back and drove away. The girls walked inside and closed the door behind them.

**(A/N) Is this long enough? I'll try to write longer…'cause it's still kind of short. Hope this cliffy will keep you hanging! Get it…cliffhanger…keeps you hanging…maybe not. Well, I thought it was funny. Just R&R! Please!**


	5. Cloe's Designs

Chapter 5: Cloe's Designs Disclaimer: I'm getting tired of stating this over and over again, but I suppose I must…just for emphasis. (sigh) I do not own High School Musical. (sigh) I do own the characters you do not recognize. In other words I own Rachael and Cloe. But, I will allow you to use them if you ask (but only if I get credit for it…in other words, no stealing)!Chapter 5: Cloe's Designs

"My parents aren't home yet so we'll have time to do whatever we want in peace." Cloe explained. "You're an only child?" Rachael asked. "Yeah, but I have a cat. Her name is Snickers." Cloe answered. "Wow." Rachael said, "I'm an only child, too." The girls smiled at each other as they walked through the kitchen. "Nice place." Rachael commented as they walked up the stairs. "Thanks, now I'll show you my room." Cloe stated. "Great." Rachael laughed.

They got to the top of the stairs and walked to the end of the hallway. Cloe stopped at a closed door. Rachael looked questioningly at her. "Ready?" Cloe asked. "All right." Rachael responded. "Here goes." Cloe said as she pushed the door open. Rachael gasped. The room was huge.

The walls were painted Bubble Gum pink. There was a canopy bed with light pink quilts and pillows and sheer pink curtains hanging on it. The windows had pink lace curtains. There was a huge writing desk, a rack of CD's next a window and a CD player on a table next to that, and an egg chair, white on the outside with pink plush on the inside. There was also a sewing machine and a Badazzler in the corner. The floor was covered in fuzzy dark pink wall-to-wall carpeting. There was a huge walk-in closet with a light and more dark pink carpeting.

"Wow." Rachael breathed, "This is amazing. Like something out of a magazine." "My mom's a designer." Cloe explained, "I plan on doing fashion." "I can tell." Rachael said, walking over to the closet and turning on the light, "Your clothes are amazing! Did you fix them yourself?" "Yes…and I made some of them, actually." Cloe stated. "Cool." Rachael said turning off the closet light.

"And I have the perfect plan to help create the perfect impression." Cloe sat on the bed and grinned. "What are you thinking of?" Rachael smiled and laughed knowingly. "Watch." she responded. She got up and walked over to her sewing table. She picked up some fabric, and then looked at Rachael quizzically. "What size are you?" she questioned. Rachael looked at Cloe then they both smiled. Rachael picked up a sewer's measuring tape saying, "Lets find out."

Cloe grabbed a pad and paper, walked over to Rachael, took the measuring tape, and started measuring her. When she'd written down all the measurements, she grabbed her fabrics and started snipping. Rachael watched as the sewing machine whirred, stitching the fabrics together.

"Tomorrow you and I will go into school looking like rock stars." Cloe said. "Total divas." Rachael agreed. Then, Cloe picked up the Badazzler and started to decorate. When she was done, she held up her creations and said, "There." "Awesome." Rachael nodded and the girls looked at each other.

**(A/N) I know…I know. I promised longer chapters, but this completes the day the story is currently on. Please note that the day of the week is important actually. You'll see why in my later chapters…or maybe you won't, but pay attention as to what the day is. R&R!**


	6. Designer Drama

Chapter 6: Designer Drama Disclaimer: I'm tired of explaining what I don't own. Can you guess by now what that is? That's right: High School Musical…and Lucas Grabeel! Can you guess what I do own? That's also right: the characters you don't recognize! You're good at this…and I still don't own Lucas! (sob)Chapter 6: Designer Drama

The next day, the girls met at school on campus wearing Cloe's designs, which they planned the night before. Rachael was wearing her hair up with a clip at the back of her head. She had on a rimmed white hat with silver gems Bedazzled around the rim and top of the hat and the word 'Squeakers' Bedazzled across the front in silver gems.

She also wore a white undershirt and a white tank top with the word 'Glamour' Bedazzled in silver gems across the front. The straps and bottom of the tank top were Bedazzled with silver gems. She had on a silver sequined belt, a pair of white capris Bedazzled at the top and bottom rims with silver gems. She'd painted her nails and toenails silver. She wore silver sandals with heels to match.

Cloe wore her hair down. She had on a rimmed pink hat with the word 'Angel' Bedazzled on in purple gems and a matching pink T-shirt that had the word 'Princess' Bedazzled in purple gems on the front. Over that, she wore a short blue jean jacket with a purple heart Bedazzled on the upper pocket.

She had on a pink belt with a purple buckle and jeans that had pink ribbons on the sides at the bottoms with a few purple gems Bedazzled here and there. She had painted her nails purple and was wearing purple pointed toed heels.

They took a look at each other. "Wow. We look absolutely fabulous." Rachael praised Cloe. "I know." she responded, "After all we should. I mean, I made the clothes and modified them." "Rock on, Angel." Rachael told her. "You, too, Squeakers." Cloe said.

They gave each other a high-five before starting to walk across campus. As they walked, heads turned. "I bet they're all surprised because no one's ever out-done Sharpay before." Rachael stated softly to Cloe. "That is…before us." Cloe corrected. "Exactly." Rachael agreed, "Well, more of before you. I'm just a model for a great designer."

They both giggled and walked inside with confidence. When they walked through the doors, they stopped and took a breath. "Well," Cloe stated, "here goes." "Ready to prove we're a shoe-in for drama?" Rachael asked. "Lets do this." Cloe nodded.

They continued walking through the hallways to their lockers. They grabbed their books and turned to each other. "Meet in the cafeteria at lunch. Same table as yesterday." Cloe told Rachael. "Got it." she responded. The bell rang and they headed off to class.

The morning went by very quickly. Before they knew it, it was the period before lunch. English with Miss. Darbis was boring, as usual, but worth waiting through. Miss. Darbis was going on about poetry and literature. This was actually the Junior's class, but Cloe was moved up to this class after her impressive grades from her old school.

"And can anyone tell me what poetry means to them as an example for tonight's homework?" Miss. Darbis was asking. Cloe sat in front of the room next to star basketball player, Troy Bolton, and another player on the team, Chad Danforth. Cloe raised her hand. "Yes, Cloe." Miss. Darbis called.

"Well, Miss. Darbis, poetry is necessary for nature to show its beauty. Necessary for humans to show emotions. Necessary for thoughts to be put into metaphors and similes to spell out the words I love you. Poetry is something that can't be misplaced or lost; it's something we all have inside of us. Poetry is an emotion we call love, that we cherish, and keep close to us inside our hearts." Cloe said.

Miss. Darbis beamed and started to tear slightly. "That was wonderful, truly wonderful. Every one lets clap. Pure poetry!" she stated. Everyone clapped. "Miss. Darbis. If that was poetry, wouldn't we all snap?" Cloe asked. "Ah, I see someone knows more about the theatre than they let on. It will be a pleasure to have you stay after school today with your friend." Miss. Darbis continued, "Everyone snap." They all snapped.

Then, the bell rang signaling lunch. Cloe gathered her books as everyone filed out of the room. "Very inspiring. Truly inspiring." Miss. Darbis added to Cloe as she got up. "Thank you." she smiled and left.

When she reached the cafeteria, she headed to the meeting table. Rachael was already there. Cloe sat down next to her. "Hey. Did you have Darbis yet?" Cloe asked. "Yep, she's excited to have us after school." Rachael explained. "I know. I had her this last period." Cloe stated and started to eat her lunch.

"What did you two do?" Ryan called approaching them. "What do you mean?" Cloe put on an innocent face and Rachael continued to eat her lunch. "Don't do that." he told her, "You two got detention? With Darbis?" Rachael choked and Cloe and Ryan looked at her as she took a sip of water. "What? No!" Rachael squeaked. "Back up, Drama Boy." Cloe told Ryan looking at him, "We didn't get detention, but we did do something."

"All right then, Cloe." Ryan said. "Hey, you used my name." Cloe realized. "That's a first." Rachael said a bit shocked. "There's a first time for everything." Ryan answered, "By the way, you guys look great!" "We should. I practically made these entire outfits." Cloe told him. "Awesome." Ryan agreed. "But you'll have to wait until after school to find out what's going on." Rachael stated with a slight smile. The girls got back to eating lunch. Ryan eyed then suspiciously as he sat down.

**(A/N) I'm sorry for the short chapter. I'm really trying harder to make them longer…but it was meant as a somewhat cliffy. Did it work? I don't think so, but I tried. Well, anyway, tell me what you think. R&R!**


	7. Designer Divas

Chapter 7: Designer Divas Disclaimer: Well, we already know what I don't own…High School Musical and Lucas Grabeel, plus all the characters you recognize. We already know that I own Rachael, Cloe, and (our new character) Theresa…well, technically the characters, Rachael and Theresa, were created after two of my friends so… You get the point. I own the characters…not the people. We'll talk technicality later.Chapter 7: Designer Divas

When the final bell rang, the girls met at their lockers. "Ready?" Rachael asked Cloe when they'd finished getting their books. "Lets roll." Cloe answered. They headed for the auditorium so they wouldn't be late. When they got there, everyone was filing in for the club.

Cloe and Rachael looked at each other. They waited for the last few people to go in and quickly followed. Miss. Darbis spotted them and quickly gathered everyone together. Cloe and Rachael waited in the back. "Everybody listen up." Miss. Darbis began, "I have a very important announcement to make. We have two new members to add to the Drama Club."

They all looked at each other trying to see who was new. Sharpay was looking at her nails, but Ryan, at least, was attempting to figure out who it was. "Calm down and give a warm theatre welcome to our newest members: Cloe and Rachael." Miss. Darbis announced, "Come down here girls." Sharpay looked up immediately and said, "What?"

Cloe and Rachael walked down the center isle. They smiled widely and shot a look towards Sharpay, who was practically growling. Ryan was looking at them a bit shocked and then he smiled nervously. Everyone else was clapping for them. "So tell us, girls." Miss. Darbis asked them, "What inspired you to sign up for Drama Club?"

The girls had just reached the group. "Well, I dance, Cloe sings, and we both can act." Rachael stated. "But it isn't quite terms of what, but in terms of who." Cloe began, "So, the person who inspired us to sign up for this particular club is Sharpay." "Me?" Sharpay exclaimed. "Very lovely Sharpay." Miss. Darbis praised, "We all thank you for spreading the joy of the theatre to these two young girls."

"Yes…we thank you a lot." Cloe added to Sharpay. "Well, now that we're all settled in here, we should start painting the set for our Twinkle Town Musical." Miss. Darbis announced as everybody got to work. Sharpay was glaring at the two girls who just smiled back. She turned around and started to pull Ryan away with her.

"Perfect." Cloe said. "I don't know." Rachael began, "It looks like Ryan's in for a little trouble." "We'll settle it later." Cloe stated, "But right now, we've got a set to paint." "Right." Rachael agreed. They both picked paintbrushes and walked over to the stage and got to work.

When the club was over, the girls had gone outside and sat at a table. "Who knew it could be easy to avoid getting paint on your new outfit?" Rachael complimented. "That's why they invented smocks." Cloe agreed. "I'm glad you girls joined a club, but…" Ryan said as he approached them, "…Drama Club?"

"Who'd a thunk it?" Cloe joked. "Is there a problem?" Rachael asked. "No, not yet." Ryan answered, "But you better hope that you did the right thing. I mean, you can pull off being designer divas, but…did you guys really want to seriously join Drama Club?"

"Actually, we did." Rachael responded. "We thought it would be fun." Cloe reassured, "And the side fact that it would both annoy and please Sharpay sounded good." "Clever." Ryan stated, "But now I'm in trouble because I might get booted by my own sister." "She can't do that." Rachael sympathized. "Plus, we're in danger, too, here." Cloe reminded him.

"Well, I'll help you guys stay safe, if you'll help me." Ryan stated hopefully. "Sure." Rachael agreed. "But first…" Cloe began, "give me your phone." "Why?" Ryan asked handing it to her. Cloe quickly took it and started punching in numbers. Ryan looked at her a bit confused. "There." Cloe said looking up from the phone, "I've added both of my numbers." "Oh, me, too." Rachael grabbed the phone and added hers.

"Now, we'll need your number." Cloe said to Ryan. "Is this an excuse just to get my number?" Ryan asked her. "It's an excuse for you to give me yours." Cloe retorted. "What if I don't?" Ryan tested. "I know you will." Cloe told him. "I really don't like it when you play mind games." Ryan caved as he wrote down his number on a napkin, "That's my cell phone number. I'd give you my home number, but Sharpay might answer it."

"Good call." Cloe said taking the napkin. "Wow." Rachael said looking up from the phone, "Ryan, you have a lot of contacts." "I know." he answered as Rachael returned his phone, "I'm in the in-crowd so, I have a lot of people I need to get in contact with. And now you guys are in it, too." That is, until Sharpay decides to change that, which she might." Rachael added. "Definitely." all three of them stated.

"Well, we'll call you tonight and work out a plan." Cloe confirmed. "Fine by me. Just don't get into any trouble. Got it?" Ryan said eying them accusingly. 'Us?" Rachael stated sarcastically, "Get into trouble? Why would you think such a thing?" "Especially about us angels." Cloe added with a grin. "I'm watching you." Ryan teased, then walked away.

"Awkward." Cloe and Rachael chorused. "More like annoying." a girl's voice said from behind them, "I don't like that word." Cloe and Rachael gulped, looked at each other, and then slowly turned around. In front of them was a short girl with long curly blond hair. Most people would describe her as a small roly-poly just around the middle.

"Hi." Rachael stated. "I don't like in-crowders." the girl grimaced, "I'm an exchange student completely bent in causing death and destruction." "Nice." Cloe said and smiled nervously. "All right. I'm only joking." the girl said, "Mostly." "Are you new here?" Rachael asked. "Who wants to know?" the girl retorted. "Well, it depends." Rachael laughed slightly, "I'm Rachael and this is Cloe." "Really? I'm Theresa." the girl introduced herself, "But how can we all be sure of that?"

"So, is this your first day?" Cloe asked her. "Yes, I disliked everyone in my old class." Theresa answered. "You'll like it here." Cloe told her. "Except for Sharpay Evans." Rachael added. "Sharpay. Who's that?" Theresa questioned as she cocked her head to the side. "An evil blond girl who's trying to take over this school." Rachael explained.

"But my name isn't Sharpay." Theresa joked, "Or is it?" "Sharpay is a Junior. She couldn't be you, she's at least 5 ft 6." Cloe smiled. "Thanks. Well, I better get going." Theresa said, "Bye." "Bye." Cloe and Rachael both said as they watched her leave.

"My mom's here." Rachael noticed as her mom's red car arrived. "Our ride awaits." Cloe said imitating a butler. Rachael laughed. They walked up to the car. "Hey, mom." Rachael said. "Hi, Mrs. Thomas." Cloe greeted as the girls got in. "Hey, girls." Mrs. Thomas cheerfully sated as they started down the street, "What's new?" "So many things." Rachael and Cloe stated. "Ah. The joy of high school." Mrs. Thomas remembered.

By the time they reached Rachael's house, Mrs. Thomas had told them everything that they needed to know to survive high school. Which is why the girls darted out of the car when it was parked. They walked up to the door of the blue house and Rachael opened it. They walked inside as Mrs. Thomas locked the car.

"Lets go up to my room." Rachael suggested. "Sure." Cloe agreed. They walked through the mudroom and into the kitchen. They headed through the hallway and up the stairs. They arrived at the top and walked down the hallway. When they reached the end of the hallway, Rachael stood in front of the door to the right. It was, of course, painted blue.

"Ready?" Rachael asked. "Lets go." Cloe said excitedly. Rachael opened the door and revealed a Skylark Blue colored room. Cloe walked inside and looked around. The fuzzy wall-to-wall carpeting was a dark Navy Blue. There was a four-poster bed with light blue quilts and pillows.

At the end of the bed, on the floor, was a wooden chest with the word 'Dance' printed on the top. There was a dresser with a mirror near the window and a desk in the corner. There was a beanbag chair under the window, and shelves full of trophies and medals from many past dance competitions. And, in the closet, there were leotards, tap shoes, costumes, a blue CD player, and every kind of music you could think of.

"Like?" Rachael asked nervously. "Love!" Cloe said looking around, "I was starting to think that I was the only one who owned a load of CDs." "I have them for dance and you have them to sing to." Rachael explained. "Well, I'm not the only one who loves music. Am I right?" Cloe asked. "You know you are." Rachael told her.

"Now I'm very curious about what's in that wooden chest." Cloe said with a grin. "I don't know." Rachael stated. "What do you mean?" Cloe asked a bit confused. "It won't open." Rachael shrugged, "I've tried a whole bunch of times, but it just won't open." "Then we'll have to make it open." Cloe stated meaningfully.

"Don't break it!" Rachael warned her. "I won't." Cloe promised. "Is that a promise?" Rachael asked. "For you? Always." Cloe smiled at her. "All right." Rachael agreed, "What's the plan?" "Did you grease the hinges?" Cloe asked thoughtfully. "No." Rachael answered. "How about getting someone to help you push it open?" Cloe stated.

"I can't believe I over looked that." Rachael muttered. "Well, lets try to push it open." Cloe suggested. "Okay." Rachael agreed. The two of them walked over to the chest and knelt down beside it. They grabbed the edge of the lid and started to push it upwards with every ounce of strength they had.

"No use. The lid won't open." Rachael said a bit upset. "Well, maybe we need a bit more help." Cloe said as she pulled out the napkin from her pocket and opened her phone. "No, you're not thinking about calling Ryan, are you?" Rachael tested. Cloe looked at her. "Thinking about it?" she said as she started dialing, "I'm already doing it. Plus, I promised we'd call." Rachael crossed her arms and watched while Cloe made the call.

**(A/N) This is chapter 7…like? I hope so. If you don't, I'm quite surprised. I thought this was one of my better chapters…well, only sort of. You'll never guess what happens in the next few chapters. Or maybe you will, but that doesn't count…or maybe it does. Anyway, R&R! Please…whoever is the first to give me a review for this story gets a virtual cookie! Or maybe two…and a brownie! It depends on what you think. Please, R&R!**


	8. Rescue Ryan

Chapter 8: Rescue Ryan Disclaimer: I don't own this…I don't own that…It's getting boring talking about what I don't own. I'll repeat what I've said so far. I don't own High School Musical, Lucas Grabeel, or any of the characters you recognize. I do own the characters you don't recognize. They are mine, but…I'll be willing to let you use them only if you ask…and give me the credit for them. Have you got it now? I hope so.Chapter 8: Rescue Ryan

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. "That would be Ryan." Rachael sighed, "Mom will let him in." "What's wrong?" Cloe asked her. "Oh, nothing." Rachael muttered. "Something's up." Cloe raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "All right. You know Troy Bolton?" Rachael started and Cloe nodded, "I kind of like him. Well, a lot a like him."

"And?" Cloe urged her on. "But, I think he likes that other new girl, Gabriella Montez." Rachael sighed again. "Well, you'll find someone who's available." Cloe reassured. "But not before you do." Rachael said softly as they heard a knock on the bedroom door, "Come in." The door opened and Ryan walked in.

"Hey." he said walking over to them slowly, "So, is this what a girl's room looks like?" "I sure would hope so." Rachael told him. "Grab a seat anywhere." Cloe told him. "Thanks." he told them as he walked over to the beanbag chair and sat down, "So what's this big problem with a wooden chest?"

"Well, the one at the end of the bed over there just won't open. No matter how hard we try." Rachael explained pointing to it. "That's a bit of a problem." he said as a matter-of-factly, "I'll take a look at it." "Why don't we all try pushing it again?" Cloe suggested as Ryan got up and walked over to the chest. "I guess." he agreed.

Rachael knelt down at one corner, Ryan was in the middle, and Cloe took the other corner. They all gripped the lid and pushed upwards with all their strength. "It still won't open." Rachael pointed out. "Maybe we should check the hinges." Ryan suggested as he got up and walked around it to see the back. "Well, we'll just keep on pushing." Cloe told him as the two started to push again.

All of a sudden the lid gave way and opened a crack. "What happened?" Rachael asked. "There was a lock on the hinges." Ryan smiled at them. "Thanks." Cloe said sarcastically. "A pleasure, miss." he responded with a laugh, "Now lets open it up." "Yes!" Cloe and Rachael chorused excitedly. All three of them lifted up the lid to reveal what was inside.

**(A/N) I'm sorry this is so short. I got kind of bored with the lack of reviews so I kind of sent you a little cliffy. Can you guess what they found in the wooden chest? Take a wild guess. As you can see by now, I am just another crazy author and you should know that what they find is very unexpected. That's just a warning! R&R!**


	9. Just A Lamp

Chapter 9: Just A Lamp Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I got bored of specifying what I do and do not own. You can take a guess, right? Well, you should be able to recognize the obvious. I don't own anything…that you recognize.Chapter 9: Just A Lamp

They all gasped. "It's incredible." Rachael exclaimed. "I thought those only existed in books." Cloe said in disbelief. "Girls. It's a genie's lamp." Ryan stated not surprised, "They aren't too hard to find in antique shops these days." Rachael reached inside and pulled out a golden lamp fit for a genie.

"Lets rub it." Cloe urged. "What?" Ryan asked, "Cloe, you don't actually believe that stuff about rubbing a genie's lamp, do you?" "Of course she does." Rachael told him with a sigh as she shook her head. "I'm not afraid to say I am." Cloe retorted a bit stiffly, "Why don't we se what else is in the chest?"

"_We'll_ do that." Ryan looked at her with a sour face, but then smiled at her when Rachael's back was turned. "Do you think I'm going to break something?" Cloe demanded an answer. "Well, it's quite possible." Ryan teased. "You better learn to sleep with your eyes open." Cloe sulked.

"Which reminds me. If you'll be so kind as to let me stay over, I'll be glad to learn how." Ryan told the girls. "Why?" Rachael asked curiously, while digging through the photographs inside the chest. "Well, I knew Sharpay would never let me come here, if she knew, so I told her that I was spending the night in a hotel." Ryan explained. "Well then, welcome to the Hotel ala Rachael." Rachael told him looking up.

"Thanks." he responded gratefully. "No problem." she said, "But you might want to take a look at this." "What is it?" Cloe asked still a bit disgruntled. "A bunch of letters written to my mother." Rachael responded. "Well, read it." Ryan told her.

"I read through one of them and it's talking about some lady's trips to Arabia where she picked up this lamp we have here." she explained. "Who's it from?" Cloe asked interested. "Somebody called Corinne Miller." Rachael responded and Ryan started to choke. "What's wrong?" Rachael asked as Cloe went over to him and started to pat him on the back.

"That's my mother!" he exclaimed as he gasped for air. "And, by the looks of these letters, our moms were best friends." Rachael said. "How so?" Cloe asked still rubbing Ryan's back to calm him down. "I'm not sure." Rachael told them, "But it means that the Evans and the Thomas families are old family friends."

"What luck." Ryan choked. "Breathe, Drama Boy. In, out." Cloe told him and he started to calm down. "Thanks." he told her. "What happened that your moms both stopped talking?" Cloe asked curiously as she sat down next to Ryan. "I'm not sure." Rachael responded paging through the letters, "But whatever it was, it had to have been big to break up friends like this."

"Maybe it was a crush." Cloe suggested. "Could be." Ryan added. "Well, it says here that Corinne got the lamp from a merchant who said it was good luck and had supposedly hosted a one of a kind family of genies." Rachael stated. "It looks like your mom didn't buy that story either." Ryan told her.

"I still want to rub it." Cloe said and crossed her arms. "I don't know." Rachael laughed nervously. "Yeah. I heard that smoof is a hard stain to get out." Ryan teased. "Ha. Ha. You're so funny." Cloe stated sarcastically as she looked at him. "Hilarious." he retorted. Cloe rolled her eyes at him and he smiled.

"Whatever the case, we're not going to rub the…smoof…of a lamp." Rachael told them, "What is smoof anyway?" "Genie dust. It's what keeps the genie in the lamp." Cloe said as a matter-of-factly. "Bravo." Ryan stated, clapping his hands. "Brava." Rachael corrected.

**(A/N) This is another short chapter. I'm sorry to keep you hanging…again, but I really enjoy giving you sort-of cliffies. Just ignore the fact that this chapter was so short. R&R! Please…please…please… I need reviews…or else I might stop writing this thing. R&R!**


	10. New Love

Chapter 10: New Love Disclaimer: You already know what I own and don't own. (I'm getting really tired of all the repetition)Chapter 10: New Love

Later that night, they were all getting ready to go to sleep. They had all washed up before and after dinner. As the girls waited in Rachael's room for Ryan to change, they were talking about boys. They'd already changed into their pjs.

"So," Cloe was saying, "who do you like in school besides Troy Bolton." "I'm not really sure." Rachael answered, "What about you?" "Hey, Troy's cool and all, but he's kind of…not my type." Cloe answered. "Oh, so you have a type?" Rachael cooed.

"Yeah," Cloe repeated, "I want someone who's into the things I'm into. You know, singing and acting. They don't need to be strong, just…nice, calm, and collected." "You mean, someone like who?" Rachael smiled. "I guess someone more like…if not…Ryan Evans." Cloe whispered a little bit too loudly.

"Howdy." Ryan said as he walked into the room wearing a blue t-shirt and a pair of blue flannel pants. On his head was a huge cowboy hat. "Wow." Rachael said. "Giddy up partner." Cloe stated rather amused, "That's quite the set of pjs."

"I know. It's one of the few outfits that Sharpay didn't pick out for me." Ryan laughed. "Well," Rachael told him, "that's a new record. You've managed to humiliate and be humiliated all in one night." "It takes practice." he bowed, "But I think the hat looks better on Cloe."

He took it off his head and placed it on Cloe's. She grinned and said, "Thanks. I feel so special right now!" Then, she looked at Rachael. "That's just about it." Rachael yawned, "Tomorrow's Saturday and it's time to sleep. Who wants the bed?"

"I'm fine on the floor." Cloe responded. "It's your room so, you choose." Ryan stated, "Plus, I'll be all right on the floor." "Well, all right then." Rachael smiled knowingly, "But only if you're completely sure." "Positive." Ryan and Cloe reassured.

"All right. Just take some of the blankets and pillows I left in a pile in the corner." Rachael explained, "You can set them up however you feel most comfortable." When Ryan turned his back to grab the blankets and pillows, Rachael winked at Cloe who removed the hat and placed it on the floor.

"Here you are." Ryan said returning with some blankets, "I got you some." He handed a blanket to Cloe. "Thanks." She responded standing up and taking it. She started setting it up on the floor. "Let me help you." Ryan offered, taking one end of the blanket. "Sure." Cloe smiled at him affectionately.

"Well, you kids have fun." Rachael said standing up, "I'm going to get ready for a night of much needed sleep." She walked over to her bed and started plumping up the pillows and smoothing out the covers. When everyone had settled down in their preferred sleeping place, Rachael got ready to turn off the lamp next to her bed.

"Is everybody ready?" she asked. "We're fine." Ryan responded. "Never better." Cloe agreed. "If you want me to keep the light on, I'll understand." Rachael teased. "Good night, Squeakers." Cloe urged. "Good night, Angel." Rachael answered turning off the light and crawled under the covers.

"Good night, Ryan." the girls said. "Good night, girls." Ryan laughed. They all lay there in the dark for a while. Cloe heard Rachael's breathing get heavier and slower. She was sure that Rachael was asleep. There was rustling behind her and then she felt warm breath on her neck that sent shivers down her spine.

"Hey." Ryan whispered from behind her. "Hey." she whispered onto her back so she could see him better. "Mind if I stay over here for a while?" he asked her softly, "It's a little cold over there." "If it makes you happy." Cloe told him quietly, "And I'll protect you from the dark as well." They laughed softly.

"I'd like that." Ryan said looking at her in the dark. Cloe could tell he was smiling. Then, all at once, he leaned over her and kissed her on the lips. Cloe found herself wanting it to last forever. Her breath was taken away and glowing warmth filled her. She reached up and touched his face. He grabbed her hand and held it there.

When they finally separated, they just looked at each other and a connection was made between them. Cloe thought to herself, _'My first kiss. This is what love must feel like.'_ "Wow." She said softly. "Was that okay?" Ryan asked lying next to her on his side. Cloe rolled over on her side to face him.

"Not another word." she whispered to him and kissed him back. When they separated, Ryan looked at her and said, "You're not such a bad kisser." "Well, you're not so bad yourself." she smiled at him. "Do you believe in love at first sight?" Ryan asked her.

"Not until I met you." Cloe answered. "Same here." Ryan admitted, "I really do care about you." "I never doubted it for a second." Cloe reassured, "And you're not the only one who needs protection from the dark." "Then, come closer and I'll protect you." Ryan told her.

Cloe moved closer to him and he pulled the blanket over the both of them. He put his arms around her. She lay there in his arms as he held her close to him and they lay face to face. "Cloe, they call you Angel for a reason." Ryan stated, "You definitely have the lips of an angel."

"How would you know that?" Cloe asked him. "Because I've just kissed one." he told her. She smiled and asked him, "And do you have a problem with that?" "Not if you'll be my Angel." he said as a matter-of-factly. "Wasn't I always?" she retorted.

"Only in my dreams." He said. "You're a sweet guy, Ryan." Cloe said looking up at him, "I can understand why a girl would call herself lucky to be with you." "Then, consider yourself lucky." Ryan told her as she rested her head on his chest, "Because I won't let anything come between us."

Cloe lay listening to his heartbeat: steady, calm, collected; loving. More importantly, he was loving her. "You're the first girl I've ever liked this way before." Ryan told her as she closed her eyes, "I want you to know that I would never hurt you…I promise." The words 'I promise' echoed through Cloe's head all night long.

**(A/N) I'm sorry, but I just had to add this scene in. I know it might seem kind of wrong…the mental picture, I mean…but I had to put it in like this. Believe me! Anywho…(yes that is an actual word I created to replace the boring word 'anyway'. Yes, I have no life! What do you think I'm doing here? Just Kidding.) Just keep reading through the story. Trust me, it's not going to be over for a long while. I write novels…and very rarely short stories (like one-shots). R&R!**


	11. Rough Night

Chapter 11: Rough Night Disclaimer: Guess what I don't own? High School Musical. Guess who I still don't own? Lucas Grabeel (teardrop rolls down cheek)…and all the recognized characters. Guess who I own? All the unrecognized characters.Chapter 11: Rough Night

The morning came way too quickly for Cloe. "Get up!" Rachael said nervously shaking Cloe, "Get up!" "Wake up sleepy head." Ryan's soothing voice spoke more clearly in hear mind than Rachael's had. She opened her eyes a crack.

When her eyes adjusted, she saw Rachael and Ryan kneeling over her. When she saw Ryan's face beaming at her, memories of the night before flooded back in her mind. "Hey there, Angel." Ryan said to her, "How are you feeling?" He grabbed her hand and held it.

"What time?" Cloe asked a bit light-headed. "It's three in the afternoon!" Rachael answered a bit worried, "We all woke up around nine or ten this morning." "We called your mom and told her to pick you up sometime tonight." Ryan explained, "We got a bit worried about you."

"Are you sure you're feeling all right?" Rachael checked. "Yeah, I'm just a bit hungry." Cloe said weakly as she tried to get up, "That's all. Really." Rachael and Ryan helped her to stand up and they walked her over to the bed.

"I'm just glad I didn't wake up somewhere else." Cloe heaved a shaky sigh as they helped her sit down. "Us, too." Rachael agreed. "I'll get you a snack." Ryan offered and left the room. When they were sure he was out of ear shit, Rachael spoke up.

"All right, spill." she demanded. "What do you mean?" Cloe looked up from where she was sitting at the end of the bed. "What happened last night?" Rachael demanded to know. "I don't really know." Cloe began as she told Rachael the events of the night before.

"He kissed you?" Rachael said shocked, "And he slept with you!" "It's not that bad!" Cloe told her, "It only sounds bad when you say it out loud." "Don't think that Sharpay won't find out about this!" Rachael warned, "And she'll definitely boot the three of us."

"Well, I won't let her do anything like that." Cloe reassured. "You better hope so!" Rachael began, "For your sake, for my sake, and for Ryan's sake." Just then, Ryan came through the door with snack bars for all of them. "Hey." he said enthusiastically, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing." Rachael eyed him as he walked over to the bed, "You missed nothing at all."

**(A/N) Okay…even I know that this chapter was way too short. What did you expect from me…a novel? Well, actually you probably did. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter…and the last few. I hate myself for making them so short…(bad me, bad me)! Well, anywho (there's that word again)…R&R!**


	12. To Rub Or Not To Rub

Chapter 12: To Rub Or Not To Rub

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything…(well, except the obvious unrecognized characters)! Stop asking!

**Chapter 12: To Rub Or Not To Rub?**

"To shine a new light on the conversation, have you decided whether or not we should rub the lamp?" Cloe spoke up after the very long awkward silence between the three while they had eaten.

"No." Rachael answered, "And I don't think we should."

"Are you sure?" Ryan asked, "Because I really would want to meet a genie. That is, if they exist."

"Well, I'm not sure." Rachael thought about it for a bit, "I just don't want any trouble."

"Just rub the lamp." Cloe urged.

"Besides," Ryan began, "we'll never learn more about or family connections if we don't."

"Oh…fine." Rachael caved, "I'll do it."

"Yes!" Ryan and Cloe cheered.

"But…" Rachael stopped them, "we'll have to wait until Monday."

"Why?" Cloe and Ryan chorused sadly.

"My parents will be gone Monday." Rachael explained, "Which means we'll be safer doing this in case a genie really does pop out of the lamp."

"All right." Cloe agreed a bit upset.

"So, what do you girls want to do now?" Ryan asked looking at them.

**(A/N) Is anyone still reading this fic? I know…this chapter is not even worth it. Truth is…I don't know why it's in here. But, it's important…to an extent. Please bare with me…I am trying and I promise you that I will write longer chapters, even if it kills me (which, hopefully it won't)! R&R!**


	13. Quick Save

Chapter 13: Quick Save Disclaimer: I should stop telling you what I obviously don't own and what I obviously do own.Chapter 13: Quick Save

Monday came so slowly for Cloe. She hadn't felt like herself at all. When she'd woken up, it was like trying to lift a ten-pound sack of bricks. Still, she dragged herself to school. By lunch, she was feeling better.

"Probably just a case of the nervous willies." Rachael was saying after Cloe told her what had happened, "Or you could be suffering from lack of sleep." "Yes, Rachael. Because I slept for practically the whole weekend!" Cloe stated sarcastically, "It makes perfect sense!"

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you, kid." Ryan finally spoke up. The three of them had been eating lunch at their regular table. "Hold that thought." Rachael told them as she stood up, "Take a look at that." "What?" Cloe and Ryan chorused as they stood up to get a better look.

"It's that girl we met on Friday." Rachael explained as she pointed to Theresa, who just walked into the cafeteria. "And Sharpay's on the prowl." Cloe pointed out Sharpay who had just noticed Theresa's presence.

"It looks like we better jump to the rescue." Ryan stated as the three ran down the stairs to the first level of the cafeteria. "Quickly." Rachael urged. They reached the floor and started toward the scene of potential disaster.

"I'll intercept Sharpay while you two get that girl to a safer place." Ryan instructed. "Right." Cloe and Rachael agreed as they split up. Ryan ran off to stop Sharpay. The girls ran toward Theresa. They finally reached her and almost collided with her, but managed to stop before any damage was caused.

"Come with us!" Rachael explained in a hurry. "Ooh, is this an abduction?" Theresa questioned. "It might be, unless you come with us." Rachael panted. "Why?" Theresa asked a bit confused. "No time to explain, just go!" Cloe urged.

"Okay." Theresa agreed. "Rachael, take her up to our table and avoid Sharpay at all costs." Cloe told Rachael, "Explain anything necessary only when you get her to the table." "What about you?" Rachael asked a bit more than confused.

"I'm going to get Ryan." Cloe said and turned to leave. "Angel, you surprise me sometimes." Rachael said. "That's what I'm here for." Cloe said and smiled before she ran off in Ryan and Sharpay's direction. Rachael had dragged Theresa away and Cloe could see Theresa was stalling.

Cloe kept going. When she was close enough to hearing range, she called out, "Hey!" In a moment's notice, she had collided with Ryan. "What?" Sharpay practically screamed at her, "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Cloe had landed on the ground next to Ryan. She looked u and smiled at Sharpay and asked innocently, "Doing what?" "Oh!" Sharpay huffed, "Amateurs!" Ryan stood up and grabbed Cloe's hand. He pulled her up onto her feet and the two of them started to slowly walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sharpay demanded. "Back to lunch." Ryan told her as he stopped and spun around to face her, "Why?" "Why did you stop me in the middle of my plan?" she demanded, "I was just about to…"

She turned around to find Theresa, but realized she had disappeared. While they still had their chance, Cloe motioned for Ryan to follow her back to lunch.

**(A/N) Is this chapter long enough? Even I know the answer to that one is 'NO!' I will write longer chapters. I promise…I do keep my promises. I am honestly trying. It's just so hard for me to break my fics into chapters. I will get the hang of it though. R&R to let me know if you're still reading this one! I'm beginning to doubt it, but…oh well. R&R! Or else I'll stop posting stuff until you do. R&R!**


	14. Staring Contest

Chapter 14: Staring Contest Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the movie High School Musical. I do own any character you do not recognize from the movie High School Musical. Carrying on…Chapter 14: Staring Contest

When they returned to their table safely, they found Theresa and Rachael sitting there just staring at each other. Cloe and Ryan sat back down in their seats. "Are you two all right?" Cloe asked the others suspiciously.

"Maybe they're cardboard cutouts." Ryan suggested. "Would a cardboard cutout do this?" Cloe asked and snapped her fingers in front of Rachael's face, then pinched her nose. "Hey!" Rachael said as she blinked, "You made me lose the staring contest!" Cloe pulled her hand away.

"Ha! I told you I would win." Theresa exclaimed. "Cloe cheated." Rachael said under her breath. "Who cares? I still won." Theresa stated, "So what's the whole deal with you guys and abducting the new kid?" "We weren't trying to abduct you, but Sharpay might have." Cloe explained. "That is, if _we_ hadn't stepped in." Ryan added.

"You don't really like Sharpay, do you?" Theresa challenged, as she looked him in the eyes, studying him. "Sharpay is my twin sister." Ryan retorted, not liking where this was going. "But not all siblings have to like each other. Am I right?" Theresa asked him.

"Well sure, but I don't hate my sister." Ryan responded. "Lets all remember I didn't say that. You did." Theresa said meaningfully. "Listen, I respect the fact that not many people like Sharpay…or me for that matter, but I don't dislike her." Ryan told them rather defensively, "It's just that we don't always see eye to eye."

"You kind of remind me of a mouse that's always trapped in a corner." Theresa commented. "And that's how I kind of feel right now." Ryan told her a bit creped out, "The way you're staring at me is a bit weird."

"Sorry, but I told you that I'm a semi–corrupted mind that's sort of bent on maintaining the power to control the universe." Theresa apologized in a challenging tone, "But I only look the part."

The other three stared at her in shock. "So, let me get this straight." Ryan started, "You are a 15 year old girl who wants to control the entire universe?" "Only so-so." Theresa answered.

"I am officially scared." Ryan concluded, "What about you girls?" Cloe and Rachael just sat there staring blankly at Theresa. "Cloe? Rachael?" Ryan asked worried, "Are they going to be okay?"

Theresa looked at them and then turned to Ryan as she simply said, "Possibly." She smiled at him with a creepy grin.

**(A/N) Sorry again that my chapter is too short. It works…I hope. R&R! R&R! I'm getting really frustrated that no one is reviewing! I will remove this story, if you don't review! R&R! Please…R&R!**


	15. Musical Drama

Chapter 15: Musical Drama Disclaimer: I still don't own Lucas Grabeel (as you can tell, I am obsessed with him)! I still don't own High School Musical! I still own all the unrecognized characters! I still don't own the recognized characters! You get the point…I hope! Stop asking the crazy author the same questions over and over and… Chapter 15: Musical Drama

The last bell finally rang and Cloe was still recovering from lunch. She was at her locker getting ready to go to Rachael's house for the final rubbing of the lamp. "How is it possible for a girl to want to possess the universe?" Cloe thought to herself.

Just then, Rachael walked up to her locker. "Angel," Rachael asked Cloe as she opened her locker, "have you ever thought of auditioning for Darbis' Twinkle Town Musical?" "Yeah, but why?" Cloe responded. "Well, I was thinking that we could sign up for an audition and do it together." Rachael explained, "You know, I'll dance; you sing."

"I don't know." Cloe answered. "Don't know about what?" Ryan asked as he approached them, then he turned to Cloe, "Hey Jitterbug!" "Well, Jitterbug, here, won't audition for the musical with me." Rachael told him. "I never said that!" Cloe began, "I just said I wasn't sure."

She closed her locker and started walking towards the door to outside. Rachael closed her locker, looked at Ryan, and the two followed.

"Why can't you two agree on this?" Ryan asked when they caught up, "Rachael could choreograph and Cloe, you can sing." Cloe just looked at him considering what he was saying. It never ceased to amuse her how he could always get through to her.

"Maybe." she began, "But we'll need more than musical talents. We'll need some designer talent." "It's settled." Rachael spoke up and grabbed a pen from her bag, "We'll sign up." She walked over to the Twinkle Town Musical sign up sheet and wrote down their names.

"Well, well. Looks like a certain Drama Boy signed up with a certain Drama Queen." Rachael commented, returning to the group. "Is this true?" Cloe asked with false shock, "Ryan has signed up for a pair's audition with Sharpay?"

"Don't act like it's a big shock." Ryan stated, blushing slightly, "We audition for the leads every year. And we normally get the parts." "Oh, he's blushing." Rachael teased. "Stop that." Ryan told them, "Lets just get to Rachael's house and do what we planned on doing."

They all walked outside and across the campus. When they reached the sidewalk, they stopped. "When is your mom getting here?" Ryan asked Rachael. "Oh, right about now. She has the best sense of timing." she answered as her mom's red car pulled up in front of them.

"My mom does, too." Ryan added as they started to get in, "Ladies first." Ryan opened the door for Rachael, who got in front, and closed it behind her. Then, he opened the door for Cloe, who got in the back, then closed the door behind her. He walked around the back to the other side and got in.

"Hello, Mrs. Thomas." he said to Rachael's mom, "You look lovely today." She blushed a bit and said, "Oh, thank you, Ryan. How nice of you." Rachael turned around and focused on the conversation between the two. Cloe had the same idea.

"I'm just telling you the truth." Ryan said with a smile. "You're too kind." Mrs. Thomas laughed and the car started moving toward their destination, and then muttered, "Just like someone I used to know." Rachael looked at her mom.

Cloe leaned over to Ryan and whispered, "Are you always this good with the ladies?" "You tell me." He retorted and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Cloe blushed and smiled at him. "You're good." she told him, "For a beginner." Ryan grinned at her the entire trip to Rachael's house.

**(A/N) I know; I know…I promised you I'd write these chapters longer. I suck as placing information into chapters. I just couldn't help, but place this piece by itself. Doesn't it give you a sort-of cliffy? Plus, who do you think Rachael's mom remembers? You might or might not be able to guess. R&R anyway!**


	16. Zac Efron

Disclaimer: So far I've written 16 of these. I think you know the agenda by now. If you don't, I will virtually tap you on the head. (Boink! And then, you realized, you could've had a V-8! Inside joke…don't ask!) I don't own anything recognizable!Chapter 16: Zac Efron

In Rachael's room, the three were reading through some of the letters from inside the chest. "These letters just seem to cut off with the lamp." Rachael was saying. "I know." Ryan agreed, "It just doesn't seem to make sense." The three sighed. "There has to be an answer." Cloe urged.

Rachael was sitting in front of the chest with her knees up to her chin. She was reading the huge pile of letters over for the sixth time. Cloe was lying on Rachael's bed on her stomach; reading the letters over Rachael's shoulder. Ryan was lying on the floor on his back, throwing a rubber ball up in the air and catching it as it came back down.

"Maybe there's another letter in the chest that we haven't checked yet." Cloe suggested. "I've already checked." Rachael told them. "Maybe we should ask your mom." Ryan attempted. "I can't!" Rachael almost screamed as she jumped up, "For one, my mom left after she dropped us off. And second, I don't want her to know that I've been looking through her stuff!" "Sorry, but I'd ask my mom if she wasn't so busy." Ryan apologized, sitting up.

"Lets rub the lamp now." Cloe begged Rachael, "You promised!" "Fine." She answered. Ryan got up and sat on the bed next to Cloe. "Finally." Cloe breathed satisfied. Rachael grabbed the lamp from off her side table. Then, she sat down on the bed at Cloe's other side. Cloe decided to sit up properly to make room.

"Well, we better make this quick." Ryan said. "Rub it." Cloe urged Rachael, who gulped. The three looked at the lamp and Rachael steadied herself. "1…2…3!" she said and rubbed the lamp. For a moment Rachael's hands shook as she tried not to drop the lamp. Then, a magical glow surrounded it. There was a cloud of magical smoof and a loud crackling.

There was a blinding light and the three closed their eyes. Rachael let go of the lamp and the three were thrown back on the bed. The lamp landed on Cloe's stomach. When it was all over, everything was quiet. Someone or something was poking Cloe's cheek.

She opened her eyes wide and screamed. "What?" Rachael and Ryan asked as they opened their eyes, sitting up straight. Rachael 'eeped' louder than Cloe had screamed. Cloe grabbed Ryan and they stared in shock at what, or who, was floating in front of them.

"It's Zac Efron!" Rachael squeaked. "Could you lower your voice?" the genie said, "That high pitched sound you're making hurts my ears." Cloe sat there with her arms wrapped tightly around a very confused Ryan.

"How?" he stuttered. "Oh, wow." The genie realized, "You're mothers didn't tell you did they?" "What do you mean?" Rachael asked confused. "Miss. Thomas, you are related to this fine young man right here." The genie told her pointing to Ryan.

"What?" Cloe and Ryan asked in shock. "Listen, Miss. Thomas and Mr. Evans. Your mothers are sisters. I am their genie: the family genie, Zac Efron." Zac explained. Rachael just sat there staring at him. Cloe heaved a shaky sigh realizing that the lamp was in her lap. "How old are you now?" Cloe asked slowly. "About two decades or so." Zac answered. "Oh." Cloe breathed.

"What do you know about these letters?" Ryan asked Zac a while later. "Oh, your mother wrote them before she had you." he explained, "She was desperate to find your grandfather." "What happened to him?" Rachael questioned. "You see, he was the king of a magical nation called Magicath." Zac explained, "Which means your mothers were the princesses. Which leaves you two as the heirs to the throne.

"Doe that mean…" Cloe began, "…Sharpay is also the heir to the throne?" "Ah, would you be talking about Sharpay Evans?" Zac asked. "Yes!" the three answered. "Sharpay is an heiress to the throne, but she might be the one responsible for your captivity."

"What do you mean?" Cloe spoke up. "Well, as prophecy stated, the heirs to the throne will try to save the king from whoever abducted him." Zac begun, "But an heiress will be corrupted with her powers and capture the others."

"That's definitely Sharpay." Cloe said a little unsure. "She's not that bad." Ryan told her. "Prophecy also says twins will be born into the family." Zac added. "When? Which part of the family?" Rachael asked. "That hasn't been revealed, yet." Zac answered, "I wish I could tell you more, but you must figure that out on your own."

With that, he disappeared back into his lamp, which was still sitting in Cloe's lap. "I'll take that." Rachael said, taking the lamp from her and placed it on the side table. "Does any of this make sense, yet?" Cloe asked. "Not even close." Ryan answered.

"Cloe, are you sure you know what those cramps were?" Rachael asked suspiciously. "I thought it was from sleeping on the floor all night." Cloe responded. "Are you sure nothing else could have caused it?" Rachael questioned. "Wait." Ryan interrupted, "Are you accusing me…or Cloe…of something?" "Possibly." Rachael said. "No." Cloe and Ryan said.

**(A/N) Hey. By the way, an 'eep' is a high-pitched; really loud squeal that sounds exactly as it's spelled. So, what do you think Rachael is accusing Cloe and/or Ryan of? Tell me what you think! Oh, one more thing! Who knew that Zac Efron would pop out of the lamp? I'll answer that one right now…no one because I am the most random person in this universe. If you have anything to say to contradict that, speak now or forever hold your peace. R&R!**


	17. Rachael's Rant

Chapter 17: Rachael's Rant Disclaimer: I'll repeat for the sake of anyone who enjoys reading these. (Takes a deep breath) I don't own High School Musical, Lucas Grabeel, and any of the recognized characters. I do own all of the unrecognized characters, and various unrecognizable words, which there may or may not be any in this chapter, but I'm warning you for any of the future chapters and previous ones. (Gasps for air) Did that sum it all up? Chapter 17: Rachael's Rant

"Are you suggesting that she's pregnant?" Ryan asked Rachael. "What else could those pains mean?" Rachael questioned, "Plus…there was Friday night." "I'm not pregnant." Cloe told Rachael. "Let me know if anything gets worse." Rachael stated. "Nothing will happen." Cloe snapped back.

"To change the subject," Ryan began, "should we tell all of this to Sharpay?" "Not just yet." Rachael answered, "We'll have to find that last letter and figure out what's going on." "What about you moms?" Cloe spoke up, "Do we want to tell them that we know? They might be able to help."

"It depends." Rachael answered, "They must not know that they're so close, otherwise my mom might have recognized Ryan." "Shall we search the house?" Cloe asked. "We shall." Ryan answered, then the two laughed. "Lets go into my mom's writing room." Rachael stated, "My instincts are starting to kick in."

"Will you quit insisting that I'm pregnant?" Cloe said crankily. Rachael got up from where she sat and motioned for the two to follow her out of the room. "Just let her believe it." Ryan told Cloe. "Yes, Your Majesty." Cloe teased. "Stop that…" Ryan gave her a look, "Jitterbug." "Fine." Cloe agreed. "Well," Rachael said, suddenly returning to the room, "are you guys coming?"

Cloe and Ryan looked at each other, then at Rachael, got up, and walked over to her. The three left the room, headed back down the hallway, and stopped at a huge wooden door. Rachael pushed it open and they walked inside.

It was a huge room that looked too big for the house. It had a wooden floor and all four walls had full bookshelves that reached the ceiling. There was a writing desk in the middle of the room. "Wow." Cloe whispered. "Don't tear apart anything." Rachael instructed, "We're only here to look for the letter." "Right." Cloe and Ryan agreed.

After an hour of searching through papers and leafing through books, they found a total of nothing. "I'm positive that it's in here." Rachael moped and looked around the tidy room. "Relax." Cloe told her, "Maybe, if you sleep on it, something will come to you." "Yeah, it's not like we need to find the letter now." Ryan agreed. "All right." Rachael caved and they all turned to go to her room.

When they got there, Rachael closed the door, and turned to Cloe and Ryan who were sitting on the bed. "What's going on with you two?" Rachael asked them. "What do you mean?" Cloe asked. "You guys obviously like each other." Rachael continued, "What's been going on between you two? Are you or aren't you two dating, yet?"

"Slow down." Ryan told her, "First, you accuse me getting Cloe pregnant. Now, you want to know where we stand in our relationship?" "Exactly!" Rachael exclaimed, "I need to know what's going on. You two are perfect for each other. I respect that, but I want to know what you two are doing with each other. I need to know! It will drive me crazy if you keep your relationship a secret from me!"

"Are you going to be one of those nosy friends who gets up in everyone's faces?" Ryan asked. "Just answer my question!" Rachael tried hard not to scream, "Are you two dating?" "Rachael, there's no time for dating." Cloe explained, "We have enough on our plate as it is."

"But are you at least boyfriend and girlfriend?" Rachael begged for an answer. "There's no time for a relationship either, Rachael." Ryan explained, "Especially not a serious relationship." "And yet, you act like a couple." Rachael stared at them.

"Kind of." Cloe agreed. "Fine." Rachael sighed and collapsed on a beanbag chair, "As soon as all of this is over will you promise to go on at least one date?" "We make no promises." Cloe told her. "That's a promise." Ryan added and laughed. "Hilarious." Rachael told them sarcastically, "You're so funny. Now, I'm going to rest here for a while."

"Okay." Cloe said. "What do you want us to do?" Ryan asked. "Anything you two feel like doing." Rachael told them, "But don't get too touchy with her, Ryan. I'm warning you!" "You got it, cous." He responded and Cloe held his arm, smiling at Rachael. "That's right." Rachael remembered, "We're cousins." Cloe watched Rachael fall asleep.

Ryan turned to her and gave her a wink. "Ready?" he asked her. "For you? Anytime." Cloe answered. He smiled at her, leaned towards her and kissed her on the lips. Cloe's heart was pumping faster than ever. She kissed him back and it seemed like nothing could separate them.

She was sure Rachael was watching them, but she didn't care. When they finally separated, Cloe looked at Ryan straight in the eyes and said, "When did you get so good?" "I had practice." Ryan responded staring back into her eyes.

"On who?" Cloe asked with a grin. "You." he told her, then grabbed her hands. "Oh," Cloe said when he separated, "is she a good kisser?" "Lets find out." Ryan answered and kissed her again. When they separated again, Cloe asked, "Well?" "She's pretty good." Ryan said before adding, "For a beginner." Then, he leaned in and kissed her again.

**(A/N) So, what did you think? How did you like the ending of the chapter? It's kind of funny to have one character constantly feeding back other characters' phrases and words…as I have done with many of the other phrases and will continue to do. R&R!**


	18. Secrets and Confessions

Chapter 18: Secrets and Confessions **Disclaimer:** I can't think of anything entertaining to say about this, so I'm going to let you know that I don't own anything you recognize. As for everything else…yeah, that's mine! Chapter 18: Secrets and Confessions

The next day, at lunch, Rachael came into the cafeteria late. "What took you so long?" Cloe asked as Rachael walked over to the table. "I found something you should probably see." She responded as she sat down and pulled out a piece of paper from her backpack. "What's that?" Ryan asked her curiously. "Here." Rachael said, handing him the paper.

He took it from her and read it over quietly to himself. By the time he finished, only one word managed to escape his mouth. "Wow." He uttered at last. "I know." Rachael agreed, looking him straight in the eye. Cloe, sensing she was missing something big, gave them a questioning look and asked, "What are you two on about?"

"Um…Cloe." Ryan began as he broke his gaze with Rachael, turned to look directly into Cloe's eyes, and placed her hands in his, "Gee…I don't know how to tell you this, but…" "Just spit it out!" Cloe looked at him seriously. "I…Rachael and I… have a mystery to solve." Ryan told her, "And we have magical powers."

"And you didn't tell me this sooner!" Cloe whispered so no one could listen in on their conversation. "We didn't know about it until right now." Ryan told her as he squeezed her hands in reassurance, "You know I wouldn't lie to you."

"I know that." Cloe responded. "We'll let you read the letter after school today." Rachael told her as she grabbed the paper and placed it in her bag. "Sure." Cloe stated as she looked at her hands, which were still being held by Ryan. He looked down and noticed, but didn't let go. "Well, I better get going." Cloe stated, then turned to look at Ryan and said, "See you later tiger."

She stood up slowly, still holding Ryan's hands, leaned over to him, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. When she separated, she released her grasp on Ryan's hands and left. As she walked, she could hear Rachael mention to Ryan, "And you deny that you're a couple." Ryan just laughed and Cloe couldn't help, but giggle to herself.

After school, the three met up outside on campus. "So, where's this letter that reveals your powers?" Cloe asked Ryan and Rachael. They were all sitting at a table on campus. "Not here, Angel." Rachael pleaded, "We'll need to get back to my house where there's less people." "Then, what are we waiting for?" Cloe questioned.

"My mother." Rachael moaned. "She's a little late." Ryan explained. "Oh." Cloe said and got up, "Well, why don't we just walk to your house?" "I'm not sure." Rachael stated. "It beats waiting here." Ryan added, "Plus, Sharpay might see us sitting here and ask questions."

"Speaking of asking questions, are you going to tell Sharpay about all of this?" Cloe asked. "Not yet." Ryan admitted a bit uneasy. "But why not?" Cloe asked a bit upset, "She may not be nice to us, but she deserves to know."

"Because she's too dangerous right now." Ryan stated, "She's not going to be able to handle it properly." "Because of the musical?" Cloe questioned. "Something like that." Ryan answered. "Speaking of which, we should get ready to audition." Rachael finally spoke up, "But right now, we have to get to my house."

"That is, if your mom gets here." Cloe said to her, "Or we could walk." "Come on, cous." Ryan said to Rachael, "Lets walk. We really don't mind." Rachael looked at Ryan, who was sitting next to her, and then at Cloe, who was standing in front of her.

"Okay." She caved, "But I have a bad feeling about this. So, lets please hurry." "Sure thing." Ryan agreed as the two got up. The three started walking across campus. Then, they heard someone behind them. "Excuse me." A soft voice stated as a hand tapped Ryan's shoulder.

The three stopped and spun around, finding themselves face to face with a very shy Gabriella Montez. "Can we help you?" Ryan asked in a not so sure tone. "I hope so." Gabriella stated, "Have you seen Sharpay?" Ryan stared at her for a minute and thought it over before finally saying, "No, but why do you need to know?"

Gabriella sighed, "I know it was her who put that article about me in Taylor's locker." "Yeah…sorry about that, but I still don't understand why…" Ryan begun before Gabriella interrupted him. "I need to talk to her." She stated. "Why?" Ryan asked. "I need to ask her about something I heard." Gabriella stated nervously.

Ryan, Rachael, and Cloe all looked at each other worriedly. "What did you hear?" Ryan asked as a wave of fear washed over him. "Oh…nothing special." Gabriella attempted to avoid the answer at all costs. "I need to know what you heard." Ryan demanded.

"I can't tell you." Gabriella told him. "Why not?" he asked her attempting to sound intimidating. "Because…" Gabriella stuttered, "it's about you." "What about me?" he questioned, now even more worried.

"I saw you at lunch when I went to talk to Kelsi. I noticed you and decided I wanted to set things straight about how much you and Sharpay kind of scare me." Gabriella began, but stopped to heave a shaky sigh, "As I got closer to your table, I noticed you and Cloe holding hands. I didn't want to interrupt anything, so I stopped and just watched you two. Then, I kind of say you two kiss. And I heard you talking about being a couple. I didn't mean to hear or see anything. Really, I didn't."

She truly looked terrified of Ryan at that moment. "Is that it?" Ryan asked as Cloe began to blush. "Yes. I'm truly sorry. I really am." Gabriella apologized, noticing Cloe's scarlet colored face, "Please, don't hurt me." "I'm not going to hurt you." Ryan eased up a bit, "I just want to know why you were going to go to Sharpay about it."

"I didn't want to embarrass you…or Cloe." Gabriella stated in a high-pitched voice, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. "Oh, that's perfectly understandable…I think." Ryan reassured, "I'll tell you what. Cloe and I do like each other very much, but we're not dating."

"Oh, but I still think you should be." Gabriella told them calming down a bit. "Why would you say that?" Cloe asked a bit shakily. "You two were made for each other." Gabriella told them, "I guess you are a match that has a destiny of its own."

"Maybe." Cloe said. "Well, I'll see you around." Gabriella told them all and walked away. "See. I'm not the only one who thinks you two are perfect for each other." Rachael told them as the group continued walking. When they reached the sidewalk, they turned right and continued walking in the direction of Rachael's house.

"So, when can I read that letter?" Cloe asked recovering. "When we get to Zac." Rachael responded. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes lining the sidewalk. Strangely, there was no one around. "It's probably a squirrel." Ryan suggested as they kept walking.

A few minutes later, there was another rustling. Still, there was no one around. A sudden breeze blew past them. "It must have been the wind." Rachael stated, "I still have a bad feeling about this." "Quit whining and keep walking." Cloe urged getting a bit creped out. "We'll be there soon." Rachael said, "I hope so." Ryan commented.

**(A/N) I must let you know that I have pretty poor spelling, especially with words that I'm not even sure existed way back when my computer was built. Anywho…I hope this chapter was long enough. I told you that I promised I'd make them longer. And I always keep my promises! Well, R&R!****This may not have been the most interresting chapter, but it does leave you hanging, right? There's more explanations in the next chapter. Plus, who...or what...was following them to Rachael's house?**** Please…or I'll end it right here and never tell you what happens to them. R&R!**


	19. Sharpay's Secret

Chapter 19: Sharpay's Secret Disclaimer: I think you know what I own and don't own. May I stress the point that I still don't own Lucas Grabeel (I might turn into a stalker, that's how obsessed with him I really am. I'm trying hard not to go that far with my obsession)! Look back at my other 18 chapters to find my other disclaimers. They will clear everything up. Chapter 19: Sharpay's Secret

When they were safe inside Rachael's room, they took out the genie lamp. Cloe finally managed to read the letter. "Wow," she said when she'd finished, "you're moms must have been really worried." "I don't know why my mom hasn't answered her phone." Rachael stated as she sat on her bed, "She's not here and I can't get through to her."

"Maybe she's in trouble." Ryan suggested, "I haven't seen my mom in days." "I don't know, but we'll have to ask Zac for more answers." Rachael stated as she rubbed the genie's lamp and the flash of light erupted from it.

When it cleared, Zac was floating in front of them. "Yes, my friends?" Zac said to them. "We need answers." Rachael demanded and started to explain about the discovery about their powers. When she finished three minutes later, Zac just stared at her and said, "You see, your powers have been bound. You can't use them until you are blessed."

"How does that work?" Ryan asked. "Your mothers have the power to do that." Zac said, "And anyone who has been appointed the authority to do so." "Like who?" Rachael questioned. "Someone with the powers who has been with the family a long time." Zac hinted. "So…in other words…you mean you?" Ryan answered.

"But only if your mothers can't." Zac confirmed. "Isn't that coincidental?" Rachael started. "We can't find our mothers." Ryan finished for her. Cloe sat in the corner of the room and thought about what she was hearing. She felt so out of place when Zac was around, but somehow she felt that she was connected to it all. She just had no idea how.

"My mom didn't show up to drive us here." Rachael explained as Zac listened quietly. "And, as we walked here, there was something following us." Ryan stated. There was a quick pause as Zac contemplated what he had just heard.

"That can mean one thing." He finally said, "Your mothers are attempting to free Magicath." "We need to help them." Ryan said. "But we don't know how." Rachael pleaded, "And we don't have our powers yet." "Then we'll just have to get them." Ryan stated, turning to Zac, "You know that our moms are in danger and can't bless us themselves. That means you'll have to do it."

"Wait!" Cloe cried out suddenly standing up, "What about Sharpay?" "What about her?" Rachael asked. "We need to tell her!" Cloe screamed, but then broke into a whisper, "Please." Everyone in the room stared at her in shock.

"Please, Ryan." Cloe begged softly, "We need to tell her." It was at that moment that she started violently shaking all over. Ryan walked towards her and held her steady. "If you don't, I will." Cloe whispered still only slightly shaking.

Before any of them had had time to think it over, Ryan had agreed to tell Sharpay which left them standing on the patio of the Evans' mansion. Ryan was unlocking the door, Rachael had the lamp tucked under her arm, and Cloe had all the letters, from the chest, clutched in her hands.

Ryan opened the door and motioned for the two to come inside. The interior was huge. It looked just like something you'd find in Home Décor magazine. "Sharpay!" Ryan called, "I'm back!" They headed towards the kitchen. "Shar?" Ryan called again, "Are you even here?"

"Maybe she stepped out." Rachael suggested. Suddenly, there was a loud bang from upstairs and a huge crash following. "Or someone stepped in." Cloe stated with fear. "Shar!" Ryan called as he ran for the stairs with the girls behind him, "Hold on, Shar! I'm coming!"

In response to that, there was an earsplitting scream. "Hold on, Shar!" Ryan kept calling. When they reached the top of the stairs, they ran down the hallway to a pink door with a gold star on it. They stopped outside of it as Ryan attempted to open the door. "Shar! Shar! Open the door!" he screamed, "Please, Shar! It's me, Ryan!"

There was another scream and then a thud. "No!" Ryan screamed and hurried back down the hallway, "I won't let it happen again!" He turned around and ran towards the door, then jumped and kicked it down. He flung the door out of the way and ran for the bulk of blond hair and pink cloth lying on the floor. He knelt down beside Sharpay and rolled her onto her back, holding her in his arms.

Cloe and Rachael walked into the room and saw that Sharpay had a piece of glass from a broken mirror in her right hand and two huge gashes in her neck. She was just barely conscious. Tears rolled down Ryan's cheeks as he stared at his sister. "Shar, why did you do it?" he asked her in a whisper just barely understandable. He grabbed the glass from her hand and threw it in the trash.

"Her." Sharpay choked as she lifted a finger to point at Cloe. "You mean Cloe?" Ryan asked, tears still filling his eyes. "Yeah." Sharpay managed, "Secret." "What secret?" Ryan asked her. "Yours." She answered. "My secret?" Ryan asked and Sharpay nodded, "Shar, she's not my secret. She's my friend. She brought us here to talk to you."

"Secrets?" Sharpay asked weakly. "Something like that." Ryan said. "Tell…mine." Sharpay choked, "I…trust…you." That was the last thing she said before she slipped off into unconsciousness. "Energy." Ryan whispered to her, "Save your energy."

He picked her up and put her on her bed. Nobody said anything as Ryan walked over to the emergency kit that was stashed in Sharpay's chest for times like this. It had been routine to him since Sharpay had started doing these things. After he'd grabbed the box, he walked back to the bed, sat down beside his unconscious sister, and set to work cleaning her cuts and patching them up.

"How many times has she done things like this?" Rachael finally asked after Ryan finished. "I lost count." He replied not taking his eyes off of Sharpay's motionless face, "She's been doing this ever since I can remember."

"Am I really the cause of it?" Cloe asked feeling guilty. "No." Ryan told her, still not breaking his gaze, "Sharpay's just…a bit stressed out right now." "A bit?" Rachael questioned. "This is nothing to joke about!" Ryan explained, "She has a serious…condition. You see…Sharpay is suffering from suicidal depression."

**(A/N) Sorry I took so long to update. Still no reviews! Is there even anyone reading this? If so, speak now! I want to know if this fic is even worth losing sleep over. I spent 12 hours straight typing up the next few chapters that I've written. Do you know how many I typed during that time, without stopping for food or drink? 9 chapters…9! That's not even one chapter per hour! I hope you know that I did that for all my readers, who are still reading this. And I hope you know that, if I die of sleep deprivation before I update the rest of this story, it should be on your head. And on the head of your children…Just kidding! Please R&R! Do it for my sake…please! Show me that my 12 hours of constant typing were worth it! R&R! Or else I won't finish updating the rest of the story and might delete it (oh, the shame of your ignorance). R&R!**


	20. The Power Of Truth

Chapter 20: The Power of Truth Disclaimer: So, my story is still here…surprisingly enough. I still don't own anything you recognize. I still am crying over the fact that I do not own Lucas Grabeel! (one giant teardrop rolls down cheek) Well, a girl can dream, can't she? Anywho, I still own the characters you don't recognize! Chapter 20: The Power of Truth

After a full half hour of constant care for Sharpay, she still hadn't woken up. "Come on, Shar." Ryan kept whispering to her, "Don't leave me. I need you. Please, don't leave me." Cloe was sitting in a corner of Sharpay's room watching the whole thing. Rachael was curled up on the floor with her back to the wall. She was staring out the window and was holding the lamp in her arms. The letters were sitting next to her.

"Come on, just wake up, Shar." Ryan whispered, "I can't risk losing you." He leaned over and squeezed her close to him. Then, there was a slight moan from Sharpay as Rachael sat up quickly and Cloe looked up. "Ryan?" she said weakly as she opened her eyes slowly. "Sharpay!" he exclaimed and hugged her even tighter.

"What happened?" she asked wearily. "Stay awake, Shar." He told her and helped her to sit up, "Just please stay awake for at lest another hour." "Why so I feel so strange?" she asked him lifting up a hand to feel the bandages on her neck. "You were doing it again." He told her, "Don't do it again, please. You scared us all. I was worried about you."

"Did you tell them?" Sharpay asked quietly. "Only because you asked me to." Ryan reminded her. "Ryan…you're crazy." She told him. "I love you, too, Shar." He responded with a smile and had her lean against him with her head on his shoulder.

"Um…Sharpay." Cloe got up the courage to speak, "I have a secret to tell you. It's about you, Ryan, and Rachael." "And our mom." Ryan told her. "Mother?" she asked a bit confused. "And mine." Rachel added. "We don't know how to tell you this, but when your parents call you 'princess' they really aren't lying." Cloe began to explain.

It took a full half hour to explain the entire story. The entire time, Sharpay was looking back and forth between the three others in the room. When Cloe finished explaining, she looked at Sharpay's shocked face.

"Ryan?" Sharpay looked up at Ryan. "It's as true as it's ever going to get." He responded and kissed her on the forehead, a sure sign of comfort. "If you don't believe us, it's all right. We have proof." Cloe explained and stood up.

She walked over to Rachael and picked up the letters. "These were written by your mother to her sister: Rachael's mom." Cloe continued, handing the letters to Sharpay, "Then, there's Zac." Rachael stood up and started to rub the lamp.

There was a white light and Zac came out of the lamp. He floated in mid-air before Sharpay, who stared at him in shock. "Ah, the last princess." Zac said to her, "You don't look too well." "Genie?" Sharpay croaked. "Zac Efron at your service." He introduced himself, "Been a genie for two decades." He bowed to her in appreciation. "So, Shar. Are you ready to receive our powers?" Ryan asked her.

"Is this some kind of joke?" she asked unsure. "No. It's as real as I am, Shar." Ryan told her. "Then, it must only be half real." Sharpay stated. "I'm feeling the love right now." Ryan stated a bit sarcastically, "How about everyone else?" They just rolled their eyes.

"Isn't she just a picture of perfection?" Zac stated. "All right, I believe you." Sharpay sighed, "He's good." "I know I am, my princess." Zac told her. "You're really good." She admitted with narrowed eyes studying him.

"Are you three heirs ready to receive what's yours?" Zac asked. "Yes." Ryan and Rachael responded immediately. Sharpay put the letters on the bed and nodded, "Sure." "All right, then." Zac raised his hands in the air and a white light surrounded the three.

Cloe was flung into the wall and closed her eyes to avoid becoming blind. When she opened her eyes, the white light faded and she saw Sharpay heal in the blink of an eye. Ryan was floating and Rachael was upside down.

"Hey, I didn't even know that I could do a head stand." Rachael stated. "I'm not in pain, but I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be painful." Sharpay commented on her sudden recuperation as she noticed her missing bandages. "Shar, I know you're always telling me to stay light on my feet during dance rehearsals, but do you think this is being too literal?" Ryan asked. "Well, at least you're listening to me." She responded.

"Do I have to salute your presence or should I just smile and wave?" Cloe asked a bit sarcastically. "No saluting necessary." Ryan stated with a smile. "But maybe a formal greeting would be acceptable." Sharpay quickly added. "Yes, Princess." Cloe teased and performed a low bow. "Much better." Sharpay said and smiled at her own joke, "What? I always knew I was special!" Ryan gave her a look that meant he knew she was boasting or stretching the truth.

"I have a minor question." Cloe told Zac and he turned to face her, "What are you going to do with me?" "What do you mean?" Zac questioned a bit confused. "Angel, what are you talking about?" Rachael asked while attempting to stand up on her feet instead of her head. "Oh, I don't know, but I'm getting a strange feeling about this." Cloe explained, "It's almost like I've seen this before. There's something familiar about all of this."

"Do you ever have deja vous?" Zac asked. "Yes. But only on occasion." Cloe answered, not seeing where this was going. "What about having strange dreams that are unexplainable and sometimes come true?" Zac asker her again. "Sometimes." She answered with a shrug. "Really?" Zac thought out loud. "Yes." Cloe repeated.

"I know exactly what we're going to do with you." he explained, "You, my dear, have The Sight." "The Sight?" Cloe asked, raising an eyebrow. "In other words, you're psychic." Zac nodded in agreement. "Okay." Rachael stated even more confused, but had managed to glue herself to the wall, "Let me get this straight. Cloe is psychic, Sharpay is healed, Ryan is on the ceiling, and I'm attached to the wall. Why doesn't that surprise me?"

In an attempt to float back down to the floor, Ryan bumped into a bookcase full of stuffed animals, which fell over, burying Rachael with stuffed toys. "These are only the beginning stages in your powers. Everyone starts out with something different." Zac began, "For instance, Miss. Evans has the power to heal, Mr. Evans has the power to float, and you Miss. Thomas have the power to stick to any surface."

"Is that all?" Sharpay asked, watching Rachael unbury her head. "These are just your beginning powers. The others will come late in your development." Zac reassured. "Can someone help me?" Rachael called. Zac floated over to her and released her from the wall and the stuffed animals.

When she was safe on the floor, she said, "Thanks. I was kind of getting a bit uncomfortable in that pile. One of your teddy bears were getting touchy, Sharpay." "You'll get used to it. Mr. Cuddles was never known to be subtle." She responded.

"Help!" Ryan screamed as he fell from the ceiling and crash-landed on the floor on his back, "That's okay. This…metal brush broke my fall." Cloe rushed over to him. "Are you okay?" she asked as she knelt down beside him and helped him to sit up.

He pulled out the metal hairbrush from where he landed on the floor and said, "I think I'm bruising." Just then, Sharpay sneezed and Ryan stood up. "Eew, Sharpay, you sneezed all over me." Ryan stated. "Well, at least I didn't throw us on you." Sharpay told him in a 'you should be thankful' kind of voice.

Cloe lifted up the back of Ryan's shirt and noticed a huge splotchy bruise. In a split second it was gone. "Well, there's no more bruise, Ryan." Cloe stated putting his shirt back down, "Sharpay sneezed it away." "You're welcome." Sharpay told Ryan abruptly, but with a slight laugh.

**(A/N) Okay, you know what I just realized? I've been spelling Miss. Darbus' name wrong this whole time. Why didn't anyone let me know? I won't bother to fix it, so my bad spelling will have to do. But, I'll just go along with the story that I have changed the way her name is spelled for a reason. Does anyone have a reason why? Oh…I got one. I am original and I do not wish to offend those who are original, so I had to change the way the name was spelled! It works for me. R&R!**


	21. Suicidal Depression

**Disclaimer:** Stop asking me to write these. It's getting boring (yawn) and I'm running out of ideas. I'm trying to keep you entertained with what I put into these. So, I don't own anything recognized. Those little details you don't recognize from the movies are mine. But I will let you use them, if you ask first…and give me the credit for the characters. Continuing…

**Chapter 21: Suicidal Depression**

The next day was Wednesday, and Rachael was even more worried about her mom when she couldn't get through to her. But the first thing that got in the way was quite obvious. "Not again." She moaned, "Cloe!" A split second later, Cloe entered the room and saw Rachael stuck to the guest bed in the guest room of the Evans' mansion, where they'd spent the night.

"Poor you." she sympathized. "Why did I have to get the sticky powers?" Rachael asked as Cloe started to pull her off the bed. "It's what you do. You stick to everything." Cloe stated simply. When she'd freed Rachael, she headed for the door. "Where are you going?" Rachael asked her. "Ryan's going to need my help in a few seconds." She responded. "Oh." Rachael sighed and motioned for her to continue.

Just before Cloe reached Ryan's room, she heard him call for her. She darted into his room and looked up. "Hey, Ryan." She greeted with a smile. "What's up?" he asked casually. "Right now, you are." She answered him, "We'll have to put some paper weights in your pockets."

She walked over to his desk, grabbed two paper weights shaped like ducks, and found a ladder in the corner of the room. She set it up where Ryan was floating and climbed it so she was close enough to him to hand off the weights, which he shoved in his pockets and slowly floated to the ground.

He gave her a hug the moment she climbed down the ladder and touched the floor. "You are so smart." E told her and was about to kiss her when she put a finger to his lips. "Hold that thought." She told him and Ryan released his grip, "Sharpay's going to need me in a few seconds."

Cloe ran to the door and turned back to him saying, "I'll come back for you." Then left the room. She walked down the hallway to Sharpay's door. "Cloe." Sharpay said softly and waited for her to walk through the doorway. "Yes…" Cloe started before she saw the mess in front of her, "Sharpay!"

Sharpay was sitting on the floor in a scattered pile of yanked out hair. "What did you do?" Cloe screamed in horror. "I couldn't take the stress." She mumbled. "So, you yanked your hair out?" Cloe asked terrified. "Not all of it." Sharpay confirmed, as there was still some on her head.

"Good thing you're a healer." Cloe said as she walked over to Sharpay's desk and grabbed a pink feather duster. She walked back over to the blond and waved it under her nose. Cloe managed to remove it before Sharpay sneezed into her own hands. Cloe grabbed them and whipped it on Sharpay's head.

Instantly, the bleeding stopped and her hair grew back to normal. "No more, Sharpay!" Cloe told her, "I mean it." "I'll try." Sharpay said, but Cloe didn't leave until Sharpay did.

By the time everyone had gotten ready, it had taken them a full half hour longer than expected and they were late for school. "All right, Ryan." Cloe told him before they left the house, "We'll take your car, though I'm not so sure you should drive. And I'm definitely not sure about Sharpay."

"You don't trust us?" Ryan questioned as they walked out the door. Cloe held Ryan's hand to keep him from floating away. "It's not that." She began, "It's just that you might float away and release the pedals. And Sharpay might sneeze and go out of control."

"My best bet is to let Ryan drive." Rachael suggested as she opened the back door to the black SUV and got in. "Works for me." Sharpay agreed and sat in the passenger seat. Cloe closed the doors behind them and walked around the front to the driver's side with Ryan.

She opened the door for him and he got in. "Remember to be very careful when you're driving." Cloe told him seriously as she buckled him into the seat, "Don't let your mind wander. Keep focused." "Sure thing." He responded and Cloe closed the door before opening the other door to the back and jumped in.

"Drive!" she demanded, closing the door. They pulled out of the driveway and drove in the direction of East High. As they were driving, Cloe was giving everyone instructions. "Ryan, don't walk too far from anything you can grab hold of in case of an emergency." Cloe was saying, "Rachael, if you get stuck to anything call for help. And avoid anything you might stick to. Sharpay, try to avoid sneezing on anybody, but if you have an urge to sneeze, do so in a tissue."

Cloe grabbed a packet of tissues from her bag, then handed them to Sharpay. She pulled out a squirt bottle from her bag and handed it to Rachael. "Ryan, also try to keep the paper weights in your pockets." Cloe reminded him.

Then, she pulled out three pagers and distributed them to Rachael, Sharpay, and Ryan, who shoved it in his pocket and continued driving. "Whenever any of you need help or have an emergency, press the button that will send me a little shock to my receiver and let me know who needs help and where you are." Cloe explained.

"Who are you? Our mothers?" Rachael asked surprised. "No, but I did have a strange urge to be prepared." Cloe stated, then looked out the front windshield at the road, "Ryan, be careful when you're driving and don't swerve. Concentrate." "Well, Cloe dearest, it's a little hard to concentrate when you're being a backseat driver or…in this case…a backseat mom." He responded.

Sharpay, who had been surprisingly quiet the entire time, just turned around and glared at Cloe. "Sharpay…" Cloe started, "are you all right?" Sharpay continued to glare at her. "Ryan, is Sharpay going to start doing it again?" Rachael asked.

"I found her this morning in a pile of her own hair that she yanked out of her head." Cloe stated getting nervous. "Ryan?" Rachael asked, but he just kept focusing on where he was driving. "Sharpay, please calm down." Cloe tried to sooth her as she grabbed Sharpay's hand, "Come on now, be a good princess…please." "Fine." Sharpay sighed.

**(A/N) So, how was the chapter? R&R! I find it amusing and frustrating at the same time that I have to keep badgering you about reviewing, but I will stop right now. R&R! That one just slipped out. I'm sorry, I'll try to keep it to a minimum…R&R! Sorry, but I need reviews. My ideas are limited. R&R! Please…R&R! **


	22. Who's Gay

Chapter 22: Who's Gay

**Disclaimer:** Look back at my last 21 chapters for all my disclaimers. I forgot how to make them have any purpose. So, take a wild guess. What and who don't I own? You should know this by now! I'm running out of ideas on how to say the same thing in many different ways. You already know I don't own this stuff. Well, make that the majority of this stuff. So, there…

**Chapter 22: Who's Gay?**

When they had gotten to school, Cloe spent a good twenty minutes explaining to the principal that the group was late to school because Mrs. Evans had unexpectedly not returned from a business trip and they had all been spending the night in the Evans' mansion.

After making a few calls to their parents; only managing to get Cloe's mom's confirmation to the story, the principal was satisfied and let them return to class. As they'd walked down the hallway, Cloe had reminded them, "Press the button on your pagers if you need help. Remember what I told you in the car this morning."

Now, she was sitting in English class, trying to keep her eyes from shifting over to Ryan and Sharpay each time she heard someone move. When the bell rang, Cloe shifted in her seat before she got up and left the room. She waited outside of the classroom for Ryan and Sharpay so they could all go to lunch.

The next people to come out of the classroom were the basketball jocks with Troy Bolton in front. "Hey, there." Troy said to her. "Um…hi." Cloe responded wondering why he was talking to her. "I hear you're in the Drama Club." He continued. "Troy!" his friend, Chad Danforth, said as he grabbed Troy's shoulder, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Troy began and turned back to Cloe, "but I do want to know what it's like…you know, Drama Club." The other jocks kept talking to each other attempting to figure out what Troy was getting at. "Oh…" Cloe said, "it's fun."

"That's good." Troy began to talk about the musical. Cloe noticed Ryan and Sharpay walk out of the classroom and look in their direction. Ryan gave her a confused look that questioned why she wasn't already at lunch.

She just motioned quietly for the two to go. Sharpay got the message and started to drag him toward the cafeteria. "Cloe, are you paying attention?" Troy asked suddenly. "What? Oh, yeah, the musical." Cloe responded returning her attention back to the conversation.

"Dude, lets just go!" Chad urged and grabbed Troy's arm. "Hold on a moment guys." Troy said to them and shook off Chad, "Cloe, you've been hanging out with Ryan a lot, right?" "Yeah, so?" Cloe retorted. "Tell me. What's he like?" Troy asked. "Right now, he's a bit light on his feet." Cloe tried hard not to give anything away as to what was really going on.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ryan lingering by one of the walls with an impatient Sharpay standing next to him. Ryan kept glancing at her and the jocks. "Well, you two seem to be pretty close." Troy was saying.

"Just spit it out, Troy!" Chad insisted, "Tell the poor girl and get on with it!" "Yeah, dude. Don't put her through this kind of torture." Another one of the jocks stated. Cloe was pretty sure his name was Zeke. "What are you all talking about?" Cloe questioned a bit concerned.

"Well, I hate to bring it down to this, but…do you want to know a little secret about Ryan?" Troy asked. "This isn't one of those jokes now is it?" Cloe asked quite suspiciously. "No…it's very real…um." Troy began, but then blurt out, "Ryan is gay!"

Cloe had a sudden glance into the future, and then looked over in Ryan's direction. Ryan had stopped fidgeting and was staring at Troy in shock. Sharpay was holding onto his wrist and whispering violently to him. "Watch out!" Cloe said turning back to Troy.

"What?" he asked right before Ryan's fist collided with Troy's face. "I warned you." Cloe told him as he hit the ground. "How?" he asked as he lifted his hand up to his face and felt his jaw. "Come on." Cloe told Ryan and Sharpay. Before they left, Cloe gave Ryan a kiss on the lips, which he returned.

"He said what?" Rachael asked in shock after Cloe had gone through the entire story at lunch. "He said Ryan was gay." Sharpay whispered harshly. "I told you this would happen if you chose my clothes for me." Ryan said to Sharpay.

"Oh suck it up!" she told him, "It's not my fault that you like to sing and dance." "True." He contemplated, "But I still think it has something to do with the fact that you have me act like your meat puppet." "Dance, Pinocchio." Rachael teased. "So, are we going to find a way to show everyone that you're as straight as everyone else is?" Cloe asked. "Don't worry about me, Jitterbug." Ryan stated, "What we need to worry bout is our mission."

"By the way, when are our powers supposed to get under control?" Rachael asked, "I'm starting to stick to my lunch." "Well, Zac told me they'd start to settle down by tomorrow." Cloe answered. "Can we talk about something else, please?" Sharpay asked, "All of this confusing stuff hurts my brain."

"Sure thing, Drama Queen." Rachael said to her, "Why don't we talk about Ryan and Cloe?" "What?" Ryan and Cloe chorused in shock. "There's nothing to talk about." Cloe said. "Sure there is." Sharpay jumped in, suddenly getting interested, "Cloe, your clothes may not be designer." "Yet!" Rachael added.

"Yeah, whatever. Still, you have a good sense of style." Sharpay continued before adding, "For a freshman amateur." "Freshman?" Rachael asked. "Amateur?" Cloe stated dryly. "Well, you know what I mean." Sharpay responded sharply, "You get my point? Ryan, you are my brother. Need I say more?"

"Only if you'll explain what you're talking about." Ryan stated a bit worried and slightly confused. "You two are the perfect match." Sharpay explained, "Do I have to draw you a picture?" She rolled her eyes at her brother. He never seemed to understand anything she said.

"No thanks." Cloe said. "I can't believe Ryan hit Troy square in the jaw!" Rachael stated to change the subject. "You should have seen his face as we left." Cloe responded, "All of the jocks were staring as if they had never once thought a dancer could beat one of them."

"That's stereotyping." Rachael pointed out the obvious. "I told you to control yourself." Sharpay told Ryan. "You would have done the same thing if someone said that about you, Shar." He retorted. Sharpay sat there thinking about what she was told. Ryan put his arm around her and squeezed her to reassure no one would say something like that…he hoped.

After school, they headed back to the mansion. Along the way, no one spoke for fear of annoying Ryan…or Sharpay, for that matter. The moment they were safely inside, everyone started yelling about something. Rachael was yelling about Troy and Sharpay had to contradict her. Cloe and Ryan started arguing about something not understandable to anyone else.

The moment Sharpay and Rachael paused for a breath of air, the last word out of Cloe and Ryan's mouths was "…dating!" There was a long pause before Rachael and Sharpay screamed, "What?" "Who's dating?" Rachael asked in shock. "Is it you?" Sharpay accused.

"No, we were just…" Cloe began. "…discussing who we think should be dating." Ryan finished for her and Cloe shot him a thankful smile. "Nice save." Sharpay stated knowingly, "We both know you two are a total couple…whether you know it or not." Rachael nodded in agreement.

Ryan and Cloe looked at each other and knew they'd been caught considering trying it out. "Well, Ryan." Rachael began attempting to get the truth, "We all know the truth so you might as well spill." Sharpay got an idea and a smile curled her lips. She knew Ryan all too well and found the perfect way to get it over with.

"You both deny you're dating." She began and laughed slightly, "Ryan, if you two aren't dating, then you wouldn't mind proving it to us." As a mixture of fear and confusion spread across his face, he looked at Cloe. "How?" he asked looking at Sharpay.

Sharpay narrowed her eyes and said, "Ryan, hit Cloe!" "What?" Cloe, Ryan, and Rachael all said in shock. "You heard me." Sharpay stated with a grin. "There is no way I'm going to hit Cloe!" Ryan told her. "It's either that or admit you're dating." Sharpay challenged knowing the outcome immediately.

In fact, everyone knew that Ryan was way too nice to hit Cloe. Ryan even knew he'd never forgive himself, if he hurt her. Cloe looked him directly in the eyes and he felt himself melt under her gaze. He knew she was expecting him to follow through with Sharpay's demands, but at the same time hoping he wouldn't.

"I can't hurt Cloe." Ryan said at last, "I won't." "Oh, but you can hit Troy?" Sharpay yelled at him. "That's Troy. He was being a jerk!" Ryan defended his actions also trying to change the subject. "So? He's still a person!" Sharpay exclaimed, "If you can hit him, you can hit Cloe! Unless you're going to admit you're dating!"

"Shar, can you give us a break?" Ryan said turning to glance at Cloe. "We can't afford to get into a real relationship." Cloe stated. "You don't have to!" Rachael explained, "Just be a couple. You don't have to go on more than one date!"

"If it will get you off our backs then…" Ryan started, but looked at Cloe afraid of what to say next. "…we'll start dating!" Cloe stated a little surprised herself. "Was that so hard?" Sharpay sighed, pleased with herself. "Sharpay, we weren't talking about us before." Cloe lied, hoping it would work. "Oh? Then who were you talking about?" Sharpay lifted an eyebrow expecting an answer. "We were talking about Rachael." Ryan explained. "Really?" Rachael questioned slightly confused, "What about me?"

"Who would you date?" Cloe asked, letting the spotlight shine on Rachael for a while, "Zac or Troy?" "Have you ever noticed that they look very similar?" Ryan commented. Troy is cuter!" Sharpay responded immediately. "No, Zac is definitely cuter!" Rachael argued.

"What's the difference?" Cloe asked. "Zac has the cutest birthmark on his…" Rachael began. "Rachael!" Cloe and Ryan both screamed, begging her not to continue. "What?" Rachael defended, "It's not like I've actually seen it! Zac told me."

"I don't even want to know!" Sharpay stated as she made a disgusted face. "But you can talk all day about how cute Troy is?" Rachael stated just how unfair it sounded. "Of course," Sharpay explained, "I'm me! And I'm fabulous!"

Ryan gave her a knowing look. "All right, fine…so maybe it's not fair…but I'm still fabulous!" Sharpay stated and walked up the stairs, leaving everyone else in the large entrance room where they'd been arguing for the past half hour.

The moment they heard a door slam, a few seconds after Sharpay disappeared from sight, they ran up the stairs after her. When they reached her door, they listened for any sign of danger. When they were certain she was fine, they decided to leave her alone. "Troy is still cuter." Was the last thing they heard from Sharpay before they grabbed Rachael to prevent her from arguing.

**(A/N) Surprising or not so surprising twist? You tell me. R&R! I'm getting really bad at this 'quit badgering my readers to review' thing. Please forgive me, but it's really annoying that you don't review. Please, out of respect for all I've done so far…R&R! Or I'll chuck this story sooner or later. R&R!**


	23. Power Problems

Chapter 23: Power Problems Disclaimer: I forget what I'm supposed to be talking about here. Oh, yeah. I don't own anything here that you recognize. I still don't own Lucas Grabeel! Ducks rock. I had to slip that one in there. I do own anything you don't recognize from the movie. In other words…my OC's. Moving on…(I already said that, but it will have to do)… Chapter 23: Power Problems

"Why does it have to be Thursday?" Rachael groaned that morning, "At least my powers are under control." She walked over to a mirror and looked at her uneasy reflection. Something told her that this was going to be a crazy day.

Meanwhile, Ryan had set an alarm the night before so they wouldn't be late again. As the alarm went off, he pressed its off button a little too hard. When he opened his eyes and looked over at where his alarm should have been, he saw only the metal parts scattered across his side table.

"Oh, great." He muttered, sitting up in the bed, "Yesterday, I could float; today I break stuff." What else could there be in store for him? As he got out of bed, he hardly noticed the strange feeling of ease that followed.

After hearing an alarm coming from her brother's room, Sharpay had decided to get up out of bed. She looked around as she walked across her room. She had a fabulous room, fabulous possessions, fabulous meals, and she was, after all, fabulous. But what more could a fabulous girl want? _'More!'_ Sharpay thought.

It had been more than surprising to her that she hadn't been attempting to hack her head off or bury herself alive after that last depressing conversation. She'd half expected herself to become even more depressed, but was rather glad she wasn't.

Sure, she still felt a bit upset most of the time, but there wasn't anything possible worse than what had happened in the last few days. When she passed by her full body mirror, she couldn't help, but catch a glimpse of pink that wasn't normally there. As she walked back over to it and stared at her reflection, she realized what it was. She screamed as the realization set in. She was pink!

Something inside Sharpay's panic struck mind told her to stress out. She screamed again even louder, if that was at all possible. "Ryan!" she called as the urge to split her wrists started to fill her mind, "Hurry!" If he didn't show up soon, she would possible be dead.

Before she could stop herself, she ran over to her desk and grabbed her metal brush. Then, she threw it at her mirror. As it shattered, she heard footsteps heading towards her door. She grabbed a piece of broken glass from the floor and was about to press it to her skin before Ryan darted into the room and grabbed her wrists.

She dropped the glass and looked around at everyone in the room. Rachael looked half terrified and half angry, while Cloe was calm and collected. It was then that Sharpay realized that Ryan's grip was tightening on her wrists.

"Ow!" Sharpay exclaimed a bit angrily as she attempted to pull her hands away. Ryan finally let go and Sharpay rubbed her wrists to soothe the pain. "What happened to you?" Ryan asked her, "And why were you going to split your wrists?"

"I'm pink!" she snapped back at him rather harshly. "Well, you always said pink was your color! And now it is!" Rachael laughed hysterically. "Rachael, are you all right?" Cloe asked concerned. "What's it to you?" Rachael snapped back abruptly.

"That's the quickest mood swing I've ever seen." Ryan stated shocked. "I'm so sorry." Rachael sobbed, "I didn't mean to yell. I don't know what's wrong with me." "Rachael, I think we need to talk to Zac." Cloe said.

"Ooh, are we going to see my boyfriend?" Rachael stated cheerfully. "Boy friend?" Ryan asked. "Yeah, since last night." Rachael responded happily, "If we weren't cousins, I'd totally date you though, Ryan." "Rachael!" Sharpay screamed. "What? It's true!" Rachael screamed back, "Just look how cute he is! He's got the perfect…" "Rachael, stop it!" Ryan cut her off a bit grossed out. Cloe stared at Rachael in a way that, if looks could kill, she'd be dead. Rachael got the message and blushed immediately.

"I'm so sorry, Ryan." She stated more than a bit embarrassed, "Sorry, Cloe. I didn't mean for it to come out that way." "Lets get Zac out and ask him what's going on before Rachael attempts to do something else in relation to Ryan." Sharpay stated as she walked out of the room with the others hot on her trail.

They never seemed to leave her alone. It was almost like they didn't trust her. Then again, she didn't exactly trust herself with a spoon.

"What is going on?" Sharpay demanded after Zac popped out of the lamp. "Hey, cutie!" Rachael squealed at the sight of the genie. "Ah, the side effects of the powers." Zac stated in amusement. "So, you're saying this is normal?" Cloe asked with ease.

"Normally, the first stage is the beginning powers." Zac answered, "They usually fit the personality of the person. This stage has the side effects. Nothing serious." "Nothing serious?" Sharpay screamed, "I'm Pink! That's not serious?"

"It could be worse." Zac told her. "Yeah, Sharpay." Rachael said with a giggle, "Things could be much worse. You could be puking through your ears!" "Rachael, who have you been sleeping with and what have you been drinking?" Ryan asked her with concern. "Zac." Rachael sighed with a giggle.

"For which question?" Cloe asked her, then shook her head as she realized she didn't want to find out, "It's one thing to have side effects, but another to flirt with a genie and your cousin." "Right, but she has mood swings and half the things that come out of her mouth are accidental." Zac explained.

"So, you mean she's an airhead for the day?" Sharpay stated flatly. "Yes." Zac answered. "And I turned pink?" Sharpay stated rather bluntly. "Yes." Zac confirmed, "The color changing side effect is extremely rare and usually means the person has an important destiny to be fulfilled."

"Plus, you could always pass it off as eating too many strawberries." Cloe suggested, "It happened to me once when I was really young. Which is weird because I was born blue and I was fed too many orange baby foods so I turned orange."

"Wow, that must have been interesting for you." Sharpay said without any care for what she was saying. "I guess." Cloe said with a sigh. "So, what about me?' Ryan asked, feeling only slightly excluded, "I woke up this morning and broke my toothbrush and my alarm clock."

"You must have The Strength. It usually comes after the floating ability." Zac explained. "Or it could have something to do with his urge to punch Troy yesterday." Sharpay stated grudgingly. She had completely known it would happen. After all, Ryan did have to put up with her every day.

"Only in defense of my reputation." Ryan stated, "Besides, any of you would have done the same if it had happened to you." "We know, Ryan." Cloe confirmed and put her arm around his shoulders. He put his arm around her waist and gave a kiss on the cheek. She giggled and Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Zac, how long does this phase last?" Sharpay asked. "Not too long." He responded as Rachael walked over to him. "Just how long is that?" Sharpay questioned, watching Rachael grab Zac's arm and rest her head on it. "It depends. Sometimes a day or a week." Zac responded. Everyone stared at Zac with shock.

**(A/N) Can you tell that something bad is about to happen? Hopefully, you can. If not, I'm a horrible writer. I have a very low self-esteem about this story already, so please R&R and I might change my mind. What do you think will happen next? You might want to look back at some of the other chapters to reread all the 'forgotten' information. It's not forgotten to me. Nothing is forgotten. I never for… Wait…what was I saying? Oh, yeah…I forgot. R&R!**


	24. Clyan

**Disclaimer:** So, I'm still writing these. I have a lot more to go. There are many more of these that state…'I do not own the recognized characters' and what not. And things like 'I do own the unrecognized characters' and what not. Well, anywho…

**Chapter 24: Cl-yan**

In the car, Sharpay was dead silent. The terrors of what would happen to her reputation crawled through her mind. She might be able to pass it off as a new fad or she could just say she was on a strict diet and ate too many strawberries.

She found it hard to concentrate on her problem due to the fact that Rachael wouldn't shut up. "What do you think will happen in school?" Rachael asked. "If you don't stay quiet, we'll all be doomed." Sharpay screamed at her. "Gee, Sharpay. You don't have to get all mean about it." Rachael retorted rather angrily.

"Oh, someone shoot me now!" Sharpay stated in frustration. Suddenly, there was a loud bang as a paintball exploded on Sharpay's window. "I didn't mean literally." Sharpay squealed in fright as she held onto her seat. "Maybe you should try to take it easy, Shar." Ryan suggested as he continued driving.

"But someone just shot at your car!" Sharpay protested. "There are more important things to worry about right now." Ryan responded. "I'm pretty sure it was more than a coincidence that it happened exactly when you said you wanted it to happen." Cloe stated her opinion, "I'm positive someone was aiming for you."

"That's scary." Sharpay realized what that meant, "Do you suppose someone knows about us?" "No." Ryan answered, "It's very impossible for that to happen." "It could just be bad luck." Rachael spoke up. Throughout the rest of the ride to school, no one spoke.

They had just managed to get there on time. Cloe had reminded them all to use their pagers in an emergency. English was first period so Cloe, Ryan, and Sharpay were all sitting in Miss. Darbis' room waiting for class to begin.

Out of everyone, Cloe was most worried about Rachael. Who knew what would come out of that girl's mouth? Cloe prayed that nothing would go horribly wrong. It was then that Cloe realized that the Musical auditions were today. She and Rachael had only managed to practice enough at the mansion. Cloe wasn't even sure they were ready, but she knew they had to go through with it.

Sharpay had smothered any visible part of her body with cover up. And it had worked. If she hadn't know that a while ago Sharpay was pink, she never would have noticed the difference. Of course, she'd smothered it on, and then dried it with the hair dryer she kept in her locker.

As the bell rang, Cloe knew it was going to be a long and complicated day. Free period was the scheduled time for the auditions. By second period, Rachael had managed to yell at a teacher twice and Cloe had to get her out of. She's also managed to remind Rachael of their audition.

Free period came to quickly for Cloe. As the bell rang, Cloe grabbed Rachael and rushed to the auditorium. They made it just in time. The two met up with Ryan and Sharpay while Miss. Darbis introduced the pianist, Kelsi.

"Hey, guys." Cloe whispered, "How's everything?" "Fine for now." Ryan answered softly. "Great idea for hiding your pink, Sharpay." Cloe stated in a low voice, "You look great." "Thanks." Sharpay whispered. "Good luck you two. You'll do great." Cloe said quietly. "You too." Ryan returned the message as Cloe and Rachael took a seat with the rest of the single auditioners.

When Miss. Darbis was finished with her speech, the first few people auditioned. From what they all saw, it seemed the four of them were the only people with talent in the room. Cloe rolled her eyes and Rachael cocked her head to the side as if she was in deep thought.

When they were finally qued on, they got up on stage. "Miss. Darbis, we've prepared a little act of our own for this song, so we were hoping we could perform it together. It looks much better this way." Cloe asked. "Oh, all right." Miss. Darbis responded in hope of some other entertainment, "After all, you arre the only freshman that showed up today. Go ahead, wow us!"

"Will do." Rachael confirmed getting serious. "Kelsi, if you'll be so kind as to start for us…" Cloe said. "Sure thing." Kelsi responded. She started off the song the same way she had with everybody else. Cloe started off singing, then Rachael joined. When the song broke off into music, Rachael started tap dancing, then she stopped and Cloe started jazz dancing the way Rachael had taught her to. Then, they ended it off with a simple grabbing hands and leaning to the side with jazz hands.

"That was lovely, girls." Miss. Darbis stated and clapped. Ryan and Sharpay even clapped for them. "That was the most remarkable act we've seen out of this group of performers." Miss. Darbis continued as Cloe and Rachael returned to their seats, "And, for the lead roles of Arnold and Minnie, we only have one couple signed up. Sharpay and Ryan, I think it might be useful for you to give us a sense of why we gather in this hallowed hall."

They both got up and Sharpay left the row first with Ryan in tow. "This should be good." Cloe said to Rachael as they waited for the two to get ready. Cloe did remember that Sharpay had their rehearsal pianist do an arrangement for them.

When auditions were over, Cloe and Rachael congratulated Ryan and Sharpay. "Ryan, you and Sharpay can go to lunch. Rachael, you can go if you want to. I'll catch up with you." Cloe said. "Okay!" Rachael said and the three left to go to lunch. Cloe headed over to the pianist, who looked very unhappy at the moment.

"Hey, Kelsi." Cloe said, walking onto the stage, "You did a great job. Did you write that song?" Kelsi nodded, but didn't say anything. "Well, I think it was really great. You know, the version you wrote." Cloe stated with a smile, "You shouldn't worry about Ryan and Sharpay. They really aren't that bad."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get any answers out of the timid hat-loving pianist, Cloe just turned around and left. Before she left completely, she saw Troy and Gabriella standing still as Miss. Darbis walked away from them. There was a shock sent to her communicator and Cloe saw that Sharpay and Ryan were in the cafeteria in some kind of trouble. Cloe ran to lunch.

The moment Cloe burst into the cafeteria, everyone stared at her. _'I know I'm late, but this is ridiculous.'_ Cloe thought as she continued heading for the signal. When she got to the table she normally ate lunch at, she saw Sharpay had her head in her hands, Rachael was giggling, and Ryan was scowling at her.

"What did Rachael say, this time?" Cloe asked realizing that was why everyone was staring, and the reason she was called into the cafeteria. "Happy Birthday Cl-yan!" Rachael giggled. "She managed to tell nearly the entire school about us dating." Ryan stated rather angrily. "Think of it this way, at least now no one can think you're gay." Rachael laughed.

Cloe sat down next to Ryan and grabbed his arm in comfort. "She's right, plus it was bound to get out sometime." Cloe attempted to calm him down. "I know, but I really don't care about what they say about me. I care more about what they'll say about you." Ryan explained.

"Yes, you're so charming. Can we just forget about all this right now?" Sharpay spoke up, lifting her head from her hands, "What about mom? We need to find a way to find her and Rachael's." "I don't think we can do that yet." Ryan said to her. "Maybe Zac can help us." Rachael suggested.

"Sure, we'll leave it to Zac-achael to do all the dirty work while the rest of us just sit here and figure out what to make of all this." Sharpay stated flatly with a hint of dry sarcasm. "What more of a chance do we have?" Ryan said realizing he had squished his water bottle when he'd gotten angry.

"Not much right now." Cloe answered, "You guys are in no shape to do anything now." "But we can't afford to wait any longer." Sharpay protested. "You don't have a choice." Cloe retorted. "I hate it when you're right." Sharpay stated as she crossed her arms and pouted, "Ryan, why did you have to run into the girl with all the answers?" "I guess it was just a stroke of good luck." Ryan suggested as he looked at Cloe and smiled at her. She squeezed his arm in return.

**(A/N) Did you like this chapter? I really hope so. I'm starting to feel depressed that I don't know what most of you really think. The story gets better. Please R&R!**


	25. Call Backs

**Disclaimer:** So…what else is there to say? Oh, yeah…look back at my other 24 chapters to see what I do and do not own. I'm still depressed that I do not own Lucas Grabeel (he's just so cute, I drool at the sight of him…and 'eep' louder than anything you've ever heard before)! Ignoring that…

**Chapter 25: Call Backs**

The next day, Sharpay had turned a lighter shade of pink, which required less cover up. Rachael was still light-headed and Ryan managed not to break anything after his last incident of almost ripping his locker door off its hinges.

That morning, in English, they had taken a test. Rachael must have spread the news about the new couple to the teachers, too because, as Miss. Darbis handed him his test, she had advised Ryan to keep his eyes on his test and not on other people.

He knew what that meant. It was currently lunch and Ryan and Sharpay were heading to the cafeteria. As they walked past the Musical call back sheet, something caught Sharpay's eye. She stopped and walked back over to it. Ryan followed her as she skimmed it over.

"Call backs?" she yelled then screamed at the top of her lounges. Ryan, used to this sort of behavior from his sister, just stood there in silent shock. When Sharpay stopped screaming, Ryan read over the sheet out loud, "Call backs for roles Arnold and Minnie next Thursday: 3:30pm. Ryan and Sharpay Evans, Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton."

He stopped and tried to think of any possible answer. He didn't even see Troy or Gabriella audition. "Is this some kind of joke? They didn't even audition!" Sharpay screamed. "Maybe, we're being pumped." Ryan suggested. "What?" Sharpay asked entirely confused and angry.

"Maybe, we're being filmed right now." Ryan continued grabbing her arm and getting a bit over excited, barely noticing Chad and the other jocks were wandering over to them, "Maybe, we'll get to meet Ashten!" "Oh, shut up, Ryan!" Sharpay screamed at him and he released her arm.

"What's wrong?" Chad laughed and looked over at the call back sheet. Sharpay glared at him noticing Troy wasn't with them. She stared at her speechless brother expecting an answer, as the jocks stared in disbelief. "What?" Chad whispered slightly confused, looking from the board to Ryan. He decided to leave the group and look for Troy.

"Ugh!" Sharpay grunted, realizing she wouldn't get an answer, so she stomped off. Ryan and the jocks remained there; still trying to figure out how much of this was real. Feeling let down, the jocks started to slowly disperse.

In the cafeteria, Sharpay was complaining about how much sense this was making. "How dare she sign up?" Sharpay was yelling at Ryan and Kelsi, "I already picked out the colors for my dressing room!" "And, she hasn't even asked our permission to join the Drama Cub." Ryan agreed, using the knowledge he'd learned to use around his sister.

"Somebody's got to tell her the rules." Sharpay stated with an evil grin. "Exactly," Ryan agreed, then realized he had another question, "and what are the rules?" "Oh!" Sharpay huffed as she just looked at him with a mix of disgust and exasperation.

Then, she walked over to the rails, looking down at everyone below them. Ryan and Kelsi looked at each other in slight confusion. Kelsi just shrugged it off with a raise of her eyebrow. She just couldn't bring herself to admit that she was the one who got Troy and Gabriella their call back.

Meanwhile, Cloe and Rachael had decided to stay away from Sharpay during lunch after hearing the news. "Sharpay seems to be taking this horribly." Cloe said. "Yeah, I feel bad for Ryan. After all, I heard Sharpay screamed in his ear." Rachael stated in a gossiping mood, "I'm surprised he can still hear."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure someone had this in mind before Troy and Gabriella got their call back." Cloe continued, "I heard that nobody's beat out Sharpay for a lead since Kindergarten." "You know, I'm pretty sure that Kelsi has something to do with this." Rachael stated, "I heard her talking with Gabriella about their audition." "Really?" Cloe asked. "Yeah, I hear they were only singing for the fun of it and Darbis overheard them." Rachael continued, "Apparently, they both love to sing."

"And, from what I've heard, everyone has a secret they're sharing." Cloe stated, "Very surprising." "The biggest surprise is that Sharpay hasn't figured this out yet." Rachael stated going into her light-headedness again. "She probably thinks someone's out to ruin her." Cloe offered an answer.

"Everybody quiet!" they hear Sharpay scream. Cloe and Rachael stood up and walked over to the rails noticing Sharpay and Ryan descending the stairs. "Sharpay has every right to believe someone's out to get her." Rachael stated not thinking, "Not everybody in this school likes her, you know." Just then, they noticed Gabriella and her friend, Taylor McKessey, walking towards a table.

As Ryan and Sharpay headed towards them, Gabriella slipped in a puddle of milk on the floor. "Look, there goes somebody dumping their lunch on Sharpay. What did I tell you?" Rachael stated with a laugh as Gabriella's lunch flew in the air and landed on the front of Sharpay's shirt.

Ryan was staring at the scene in front of him as Sharpay screamed for the second time that day. He watched as Gabriella stammered out her apology and Taylor dragged her away. Fright was plastered all over her face. As Sharpay removed the fries, which had landed on her, Ryan mindlessly took them from her.

"What is going on here?" Miss. Darbis asked. "Look at this! That Gabriella girl just dumped her lunch on me…on purpose!" Sharpay was screaming to Miss. Darbis. Ryan didn't pay much attention to what was said next. Even he had seen the girl slip in a puddle that had appeared out of nowhere.

It just didn't seem to make sense. Did Sharpay make the puddle appear on her own? Maybe, he'd done it without realizing it. Then, a thought crossed his mind. Could there be someone else in this school who had powers? Someone like…Gabriella?

"No." Rachael stated sternly that day after Drama Club. "It's possible." Ryan retorted. He had just explained his theory about what happened at lunch and, as far as he was concerned, it made perfect sense. He couldn't understand why no one would believe that Gabriella…or anyone else in the school…might have powers.

"I can believe that you might have careless enough to make that happen, but Gabriella does no have magical powers!" Sharpay was screaming at him. She had been sitting in a chair in his room listening until now, ever since she'd comeback from her room to change for third time. After school, they'd returned to the mansion and were currently in his room.

"Plus, anyone who eats fries that went down their sister's shirt must be out of their mind." Rachael stated recalling Ryan's hunger after Sharpay had handed him the fries and watched him eat out of it. "I was hungry and they were perfectly good fries. Who would want to waste food?" Ryan defended his actions.

He had been hungry and he wasn't thinking at the time. It was a nervous habit he'd had since he was little. When he'd discovered his depression, he'd eaten the shaving cream Sharpay had tried to use to choke herself.

"Maybe, one of us did do it by accident." Rachael stated, "I don't think we should put all the blame on Ryan, though." "What do you think, Cloe?" Sharpay asked expectantly. Cloe had been sitting on Ryan's bed meditating ever since she'd sat down on it.

She looked up from her spot on the bed. Ryan was standing by the door, leaning against the wall, and staring at her with hurt. Rachael was sitting on the floor next to the bed looking up at her. Sharpay was glaring at her with watchful eyes form where she was sitting at Ryan's desk.

Cloe thought it over to herself, then finally said, "I agree with Ryan." She saw the expression, on his face, lift to confusion. "What?" Rachael and Sharpay both stated in mild shock. "Just because he's your boyfriend, doesn't mean you have to agree with him about everything." Rachael stated point blank.

"There's a reason why I agree and I'm surprised you two don't know." Cloe began perking everyone's interest; "There could be someone at East High who has powers. It could be anyone: a prankster, a genius, or a thrill-seeker. There's no end to the possibilities. It could even be someone as shy as…if not…Gabriella."

"What makes you say that?" Rachael asked not understanding a single thing her friend was saying. Cloe sighed and continued, "If either of you had done it, don't you think you would have realized it? Plus, nothing has happened like that before this year, am I right?"

"Yes." Sharpay muttered at her defeat. "So, anyone new to this school could have done it." Ryan caught on to what his girlfriends had been saying, "Which includes all freshmen and Gabriella." "You already know the only power I have are my psychic abilities and Rachael was with me the moment it happened." Cloe reminded them.

"So, I told you. It might have been Gabriella." Ryan added. "Why would they be after me and Ryan? Most importantly me!" Sharpay asked. "I'm not sure. Unless they knew about us and happened to be the same person who has to do with the sudden disappearances of your family members." Cloe realized.

There was a stunned silence in the room and everyone watched Sharpay as the realization sunk in. "You mean, there could be someone in our school who kidnapped our family and is after us?" Sharpay asked. "I'm afraid so." Cloe said.

Sharpay stared blankly at the wall. "Are you all right, Shar?" Ryan asked with a hint of worry in his voice. "No." she responded. "Calm down." Rachael stated calmly. "No." Sharpay repeated, "Ryan, I can't take it!" Ryan looked at his sister with concern flooding his face.

Sharpay was slowly reaching for her throat. "Ryan, I'm going to do it again. Stop me!" she called to Ryan. He ran over to his twin and grabbed her hands before they could do any damage. "Breathe." Ryan told her. "Ryan, I can't." Sharpay choked, "Make it stop!"

"Breathe, Shar!" Ryan told her urgently as he opened a desk drawer. He grabbed an inhaler and rushed it over to Sharpay. Cloe and Rachael had run over to her, while Ryan's back was turned, and managed to stop her from choking herself.

Ryan shoved the inhaler is his sister's mouth and pumped the cool, refreshing air into her lungs. When she began to calm down, Ryan removed the inhaler and sat down next to his slowly recuperating twin. Cloe and Rachael collapsed on the floor in relief as Sharpay rested her head on Ryan's shoulder.

That night, Cloe tossed and turned in the guest bed. Voices kept swirling around in her head. She remembered Gabriella's comment about Ryan and herself. Gabriella had said, "I guess you're a match that has a destiny of it's own."

What did that mean: 'a destiny of it's own'? Then, Cloe remembered Theresa saying, "I'm a semi-corrupted mind that's sort of bent on maintaining the power to control the universe." Those were the two people she could think of who had said something to her that might make them some kind of suspect.

But there were still many more people who could be possible suspects. After all, everyone knew who the Evans' were. There was one last thought that crossed her mind. Troy's voice echoed though her ears, "Do you want to know a little secret about Ryan?"

What did he mean? Did he really know something about her best friend that she didn't? Troy's last few words sounded loudly in her mind, "Ryan is gay!" Was that really what he'd meant? Troy, Gabriella, and Theresa were all possible suspects.

Meanwhile, Ryan heard noises coming from down the hall. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed it was around midnight. He got up, managing not to break anything. As he walked towards his door, he realized the noises were coming form Cloe.

He's half expected Sharpay to be attempting to smother herself, but was thankful that she wasn't. He opened his door and slipped into the hallway. He decided to check in on Sharpay. Comforted with the fact that Sharpay was asleep and in perfect health, Ryan headed for the guest room.

In his opinion, he'd given Cloe the best room in the mansion. He paused in front of Rachael's guest room. There were murmurs coming from inside the room. Ryan, feeling curious, put his ear to the door as he tried to hear what was going on.

"No, you're cuter." Rachael was saying. "No, you're way cuter." Zac had responded as the two laughed. "Ryan pulled his ear away from the door as he realized what must have been going on in the room. He continued walking down the hallway.

When he was close enough to Cloe's guest room, he hear a moan come from inside. It was definitely Cloe. Ryan walked up to the door and opened it a crack. Cloe moaned again, this time a little louder. Ryan moved inside and silently closed the door behind him. Cloe moved in her sleep as Ryan crept closer to the bed.

When he reached her bedside, he looked at his girlfriend's sleeping body. He smiled to himself as he thought of how beautiful she was. "Ryan." Cloe muttered in her sleep. _'Should I wake her?'_ Ryan thought silently to himself. Cloe shifted again.

Ryan found her appearance quite amusing. Cloe had one hand flung above her head and the other off to the side of the bed. Though she was under the covers, Ryan could tell that Cloe's legs were thrust apart. _'What was that girl dreaming about?'_ Ryan wondered to himself.

As if to answer his question, Cloe gave a little laugh and muttered, "Ryan." Then, she let out a little sigh. She was happily dreaming of him. Ryan walked to the other side of the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Cloe let out a small yelp. Her chest was heaving and her breathing got shorter and quicker.

Ryan leaned over and started to shake her. Almost immediately at his touch, she jolted awake panting. Ryan pulled back a bit concerned by Cloe's sudden break into a cold sweat. Cloe was flattened to the bed in fear. She was as frightened as anyone would have been, if they'd witnessed what she had.

Completely unaware that anyone was it the room with her, Cloe sat up and stretched her arms out to the side rather quickly. "Ow." A voice stated a bit loudly. Cloe froze and looked over at the figure sitting on the other side of the bed.

Cloe dropped her arms in shock and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. Neither person spoke. _'Who is in the same bed as me?' _Cloe thought trying to suppress a scream. She finally saw the outline of the guy sitting on the bed.

"Cloe." Ryan's voice whispered to her in a slightly shocked tone, "I came in here to wake you and you hit me?" "Ryan," Cloe stated a bit relaxed, "Why did you want to wake me?" "I heard you making noises and you started thrashing about." Ryan shrugged, "I wanted to know if you were all right."

"That's sweet." Cloe said to him affectionately. "What were you dreaming about?" Ryan asked curiously. Cloe blushed in the darkness before saying, "Someone special." "Then why did you start thrashing about and screaming?" Ryan's voice hinted concern.

Cloe remembered all that she'd seen. "Your mother…Rachael's mom…your grandfather." Cloe stammered, "It was all so real." "Go on." Ryan urged her with interest and possibly fear. "They need our help, Ryan!" Cloe said softly, but urgently, "They're captured…in Magicath."

The two of them sat in silence wondering where Magicath was…and how to get there. They'd never really thought about it before. "Did you see who it was?" Ryan asked hopefully. "Unfortunately, no." Cloe sighed, but quickly remembered, "But I have narrowed it down to three suspects." Ryan was silent, so Cloe continued to name them, "Troy, Gabriela, or Theresa could all be the ones after you."

Ryan quietly considered the thought. He and Sharpay had both caught Troy and Gabriella looking at the musical's sign up sheet. Maybe, they were the ones after them. The only problem was that Troy was nowhere near the event when it had happened the other day.

"I'm really sorry, Ryan." Cloe apologized, taking his silence for anger. "For what?" Ryan asked. "I tried my hardest to see who your attacker/saboteur is. You know my abilities are just developing and meditating is supposed to make the thoughts come clearer. I'm so sorry, but I tried." Cloe had felt a sudden pang of guilt as she turned to look at the one person who really cared about her.

She'd let him down and she felt horrible about not being able to give him more information. "Cloe." Ryan said soothingly, knowing just how painful it was to not know the important answers, "Don't be mad at yourself. It's not your fault."

He moved closer to Cloe and held her in a tight embrace. Ryan knew that, even though she didn't, Cloe wanted to move away. Instead, Cloe just sat there with her body in his arms. Something about it made her feel horribly guilty. Maybe it was because they were in the dark alone.

Even though that was an intriguing thought, Cloe finally managed to break away from Ryan's grasp. "What's wrong?" Ryan asked, not understanding why she was so uncomfortable. "I don't know." Cloe told him, "Something doesn't feel right."

Ryan knew what that meant and he did not want to make Cloe feel uncomfortable around him, so he moved back to give her some space. "Like what?" Ryan asked, just to be sure. "I'm not sure, but I'm getting this strange feeling." Cloe explained, "Maybe I should talk to Zac. It could be another vision that's trying to get through."

"As good as that sounds," Ryan told her, remembering what he'd heard from Rachael's guest room, "I think Zac is kind of…busy right now." "With what?" Cloe asked with confusion. What could a genie possibly be doing at this time of day?

"Rachael." Ryan shifted uncomfortably upon saying this. Right now, he wasn't in the mood to interrupt them. He looked down at the bed and barely noticed Cloe's sudden movement. He felt her brush against his arm.

When he looked up, he found himself almost nose to nose with the girl he thought he loved more than anyone else in the world at the moment. "What is he doing to her?" Cloe asked almost demanding an answer.

Ryan looked back at her a bit stupefied at her question. It was obviously clear that Cloe wasn't in the mood to be ignored. As Ryan opened his mouth to answer, Cloe's collided with his and the two stayed there in the dark connected. Ryan grabbed her close to him and she hugged him back.

**(A/N) I wrote this chapter really long to make up for all the shortness of all of my early chapters. I hope this makes up for it. Did I do a good job? If you have any questions, ask me and I will tell you what you will be allowed to know. R&R!**


	26. Out Of The Dark

**Disclaimer:** Right now, I currently have a dog barking in my ear, I just had a deja vous, and I'm really freaked out right now! I do not own Lucas Grabeel, if that's what you were wondering. (Which you know it was) I still don't own High School Musical (no matter how much I really wish I did). I'm sad now…(sob).

**Chapter 26: Out Of The Dark**

Sharpay turned onto her side in her sleep. Unsatisfied with her position, she rolled over again and briefly woke up to find herself at the edge of her bed. She shifted rather suddenly and screamed as she lost balance and fell off the bed in a bundle of blankets. She sat up on the floor.

Sharpay glanced around her dark room rather grumpily. She didn't normally get up so early and figured she'd check on the current condition of her skin. After standing up and turning on her lamp, Sharpay noticed it was about one in the morning.

She let out a groan and walked over to her new full body mirror. She looked at her reflection and almost smiled when she saw her skin was it's natural tanned color. This made her stop and think. Where were her parents? Her father was on a business trip in Peru. She supposed her mother was out trying to find their grandfather in Magicath. But where was Magicath?

Sharpay shoved those thoughts out of her head. She heard little squeals coming from the hallway…or one of the rooms. "Sounds like someone's having a good time." Sharpay muttered, "How can anyone enjoy themselves after what's happened over the past few weeks?"

She walked over to her walk-in closet and grabbed her pink housecoat from one of the hangers. She pulled it on over her pink nightgown and slipped out of her room, forgetting to turn out the light. As she walked by Ryan's room, she noticed he wasn't in it.

"Figures." Sharpay muttered under her breath. She knew exactly where he was. Why did he have to bother with that girl she'd helped to set him up with? The only reason she's sent him after Cloe on her first day was because she'd noticed how lonely Ryan was. Sharpay had told him to go through the usual routine of talking to the new kids as an excuse for him to talk to her. Plus, she'd caught Ryan watching Cloe eagerly all throughout class.

Sharpay shook her head at that and pushed the memories away. She continued walking through the dark hallway. Passing Rachael's room, she paused and listened to what was happening. "Zac, what do you think is going to happen with Sharpay?" Rachael was asking. "Well, she's definitely improving with her problem." Zac answered.

"No, I mean she's the only one here who doesn't have a date." Rachael stated concerned. Sharpay's heart sunk at that. Rachael was right; she didn't have a boyfriend. Even Ryan had managed to get a date with Cloe, not thanks to herself. And that was really saying something.

"I'm just worried that she might get upset and try to hurt herself again." Rachael explained. "Sharpay would be fine." Zac reassured, "She'll find a guy who's right for her." "If she had a choice, she'd make Troy like her." Rachael pouted.

Sharpay felt a nit upset about this. Sure, she wanted Troy to like her and she had overheard him saying that he thought she was cute. That didn't mean she'd have to force him to like her…yet. "Well, whoever she finds, he'll make her truly happy." Zac stated. "The way you make me happy?" Rachael giggled. "Maybe." Zac said and then they were silent.

'_Eew.'_ Sharpay thought. There was no way she'd get into a serious relationship. They were too difficult to handle. She sighed and continued walking down the hallway. At least they were concerned about her. That made things a bit better in her mind.

As she neared the last occupied guest room, Sharpay debated whether or not to check in on her brother and his girlfriend. She didn't hear anything from the room. When she reached it, she stopped in front of it. She listened carefully, but there was dead silence.

After debating whether to open the door or not, Sharpay gently opened it a crack and peered inside. It was quiet and still. Sharpay opened the door a bit more and looked around the quiet room. She saw two figures in the bed asleep.

The two were on their sides under the blankets. Cloe was closest to the door on the bed. She was sleeping facing the door. Ryan was also facing the door asleep. He was pressed against her back and had his arm around her waist. They looked a total couple.

Sharpay sighed at how peaceful they looked. For a moment, she feared what might have happened while they were alone. Then, she pushed the thought away. She knew Ryan was too nice to hurt Cloe…or anyone. _'Unless it was in some kind of self defense.'_ Sharpay thought to herself, remembering what Ryan did to Troy.

Sharpay descended the stairs and continued to head into the kitchen, not bothering to turn on the lights. When she reached the table, she sat down in one of the chairs. What did all of this mean? Everything had happened too quickly. Why had her parents hid the secret from her? They must have had a pretty good reason not to tell her because they always told her everything.

Nothing made sense. Her life was a mess and she knew it. A noise by the window lifted her from her thoughts. Sharpay straightened in her seat and her body stiffened. There was a sudden pitter patter as she realized it was raining.

"That's weird." Sharpay said, "The weather man said it would be clear skies. I guess that proves they are always wrong." She relaxed again and looked towards the refrigerator with desire. She really badly wanted the chocolate cake from the refrigerator, but remembered her diet. She wasn't supposed to eat any sweets.

It wasn't like she needed to diet, but she really wanted to lose a few extra pounds. "I really wish we had some sugar free chocolate cake." Sharpay moaned trying to tear her eyes away. She froze and stiffened, as she smelled the slightest scent of…chocolate!

She must have been dreaming because, as she turned to look at the table in front of her, there was a sugar free chocolate cake set in the center. "We didn't go shopping and I don't remember this being here before." Sharpay said in shock, indicating the cake.

She pulled it closer to her, grabbed a fork and knife, and cut off a piece of the cake. Shrugging, she said, "It's real. I guess Ryan and the others must have sneaked out and got this for me." She took a little bite, closed her eyes, and allowed the overwhelming sensation to take over her body. As she kept eating, she was wondering whether anyone had picked up a carton of Low fat milk.

Sure enough, when she opened her eyes, there it was. A carton of Low fat milk and a glass were sitting on the table, waiting for her. "That wasn't there before." Sharpay realized, but quickly shrugged it off and poured herself a glass.

When she'd had her fill of both, she returned them to the refrigerator. "At least, I know someone's worrying about me." Sharpay said aloud as she headed for the sink. She placed the fork, knife, and empty glass in the sink and remembered it was early Saturday morning.

There was a sudden movement in the doorway of the dark kitchen. Sharpay turned around quickly to see who it was. There was a dark figure in the doorway coming closer into the room. Sharpay screamed and the light was turned on. Sharpay stopped immediately after seeing an unfazed, and slightly angered, Ryan standing in the kitchen with her.

For a minute, the twins just stared at each other. Ryan's slightly irritated blue eyes stared into Sharpay's terrified brown eyes. "Ryan! What are you doing scaring me like that?" Sharpay squealed. Seeing his sister's terrified expression, Ryan eased up a bit.

"I saw you were missing from your room, so I came down to check for you. Then, you scream at me? Gosh, Shar!" Ryan said as he rubbed his neck, easing up to the fact his sister was okay, "You scared me." "And you didn't just scare me?" Sharpay shot back at him, but then remembered the cake and milk, "Thanks for the snack. When did you get it?"

Ryan gave her a questioning glance and returned his hand to his side. "What snack?" he questioned only more confused than he'd been when he'd found Sharpay missing from her room. "Don't pretend you don't know." Sharpay laughed, "When did you buy the sugar free cake and the Low fat milk?"

Ryan's face was a mix of confusion and amusement. "I don't remember getting any of that." He told his twin. He watched her expression change from confusion to frustration, then finally to fear. "Then, where did it come from?" she asked hopefully.

Ryan just shrugged. Then there was a crash from in the family room. "What…" Sharpay's voice trailed off into silent fear. Ryan moved across the kitchen. If anything happened to make Sharpay attempt suicide, he'd never forgive himself. Sharpay had progressed a lot since he first found her gagging on a marble at age 2.

Ryan always knew he had to stick around his sister in order to protect her. He was the only one she listened to when things got really bad. The only reason he always listened to her was because she needed someone to yell at or talk to. If he didn't, who would?

There was another crash and Sharpay whispered, "Ryan!" He shot her a reassuring look. Then, he walked slowly towards the table to glance through the arched doorway and into the family room. Before he had a chance to get even halfway, a pair of glowing red eyes peered out at them from the darkness.

The twins froze. Slowly, the creature moved into the kitchen. As it came closer, Ryan held his breath. As far as he could tell, so had Sharpay. Ryan grabbed a knife and thrust it in front of him as the creature walked into the light.

He dropped the knife in shock as Sharpay squealed in disgust. There, standing in front of them was a monkey. Ryan's jaw hung in shock. He leaned against the kitchen table for support. "Ryan, why is there a monkey in out house?" Sharpay asked expectantly.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Shar." Ryan breathed, "But that is a good question. Maybe, it escaped from the circus." Suddenly, more glowing red eyes appeared. "And brought friends!" he exclaimed, fear spreading across both twins' faces.

**(A/N) Like the cliffy? I do. Can you guess what happens next? I bet it will take you a while. You can prove me wrong by reviewing now. Or you can prove me right by not reviewing. You have those two choices and they both have consequences attached to them. If you review, I will update soon. If you don't, I will not update until you do. If you take too long, I will forget to finish my story until you do. I might also delete it…or I might not. It all depends. So, for the sake of all those who want to keep reading this, R&R!**


	27. Monkeys

**Disclaimer:** Check List: Stuff I do not own…High School Musical (check)…all the recognized characters (check again)…Lucas Grabeel (sadly that one's a double…make that triple…check)… That's pretty much it. I think you get the idea now…and, if you're still reading these, I hope you find them very entertaining. Continuing (I already used that one…see how I forget things so easily?)…

**Chapter 27: Monkeys**

Ryan reached down to pick up the knife, but the monkey screeched at him. Ryan froze as he looked up and saw the monkey grow a pair of wings and a set of fangs. Then, the other glowing red eyes disappeared as more flying monkeys swarmed into the kitchen.

Ryan realized a knife wasn't the safest weapon against a swarm of vampiric flying monkeys. "Run, Shar!" Ryan told his sister. Sharpay was frozen with fear. "Shar!" Ryan screamed, "Run!" She didn't move. The monkeys were heading towards her.

Ryan, switching to defensive mode, jumped in front of his twin sister and thrust his arms out in front of him. Almost immediately, a blue wave of power shot from the palm of each of his hands and the monkeys were thrust backwards.

The one that were hit with the blast disappeared into nothing. The others that were left in the room flew back into the family room and out of the open window. Ryan dropped his hands and looked at his palms in shock. He'd only acted upon instinct.

"What was that?" Sharpay stammered as she began to shake, "How did you do that?" Ryan looked over his shoulder at her frightened face. "That is another good question." He told her, "I'm not sure." They walked into the dark family room and Ryan closed the window, checking to make sure it was locked. After locking every possible entrance into the house, he returned to the kitchen.

Sharpay, who had been following him around and double-checking everything, began to ease up. "Ryan," she finally said, joining him at the table, "What do you think is going to happen next? Are they going to come back?" Ryan turned to his frightened sister. She had rarely ever asked his opinion about anything. He thought about her questions before he said, "I think…it's time to talk to Zac."

Ryan and Sharpay burst into Rachael's guest room. Rachael was sleeping and Zac was evidently back inside his lamp. Sharpay switched on the light. "Rachael." Ryan said rather loudly. She didn't budge. "Rachael!" he repeated rather impatiently. She still didn't move.

Ryan looked at Sharpay, who got the message. Everyone needed to get up and that included Cloe. Ryan held his breath and Sharpay took a deep one. Then, she let out the loudest scream she could manage. "What happened?" Rachael screamed, sitting up in bed, and suddenly awake. Cloe ran into the room in a panic only to see Sharpay standing there with her arms crossed.

"You're finally awake." Ryan stated, "Now, we can get to the point." "Get Zac here, not!" Sharpay demanded. "But…why?" Rachael yawned. "Just do it!" Sharpay barked. Rachael gave her a grumpy look, then picked up the lamp, and rubbed it. In a second, Zac was out of the lamp.

"Just because I'm a genie doesn't mean I don't sleep." Zac said grumpily. "Well, you might have had more sleep if you weren't so busy with Rachael." Sharpay stated rather accusingly. "Glad to see we're all up. Let's talk." Ryan demanded.

After explaining what had happened downstairs, Zac was almost pale compared to his normal tanned skin color. "Food appearing out of nowhere, everything your heart desires at you fingertips, sudden storms, and flying monkeys." Rachael cooed, "That sounds like something out of The Wizard of OZ."

Zac turned to her and gave her a look that told her she was only half right. "You mean the Wizard of OZ is real?" Rachael asked. Cloe let out a soft grunt. Everyone in the room turned to look at her from where she was sitting in a corner with her face in her hands.

She looked up at them and attempted a smile when she said, "Don't tell me those creatures came from Magicath." "I'm afraid so." Zac stated as he watched Cloe's face fall into a frown. "You're telling us that those monkeys from the movie actually did that to Dorothy and Toto?" Ryan questioned.

"Not quite to a girl and a dog, but…" Zac began. "…they did kidnap your grandfather." Cloe corrected, "And, now they've kidnapped your mothers." "Right." Zac confirmed, remembering he had been teaching Cloe how to use her abilities to their best advantage.

"Okay, so we understand about all of that, but what about the other stuff?" Sharpay demanded, "What about the other things appearing on their own? What about what Ryan did to the monkeys?" Everyone's attention turned to Zac, who smiled sleepily and said, "It's all perfectly normal. Since you've all gone through the first two stages of gaining full power, this is the last phase."

"What does this one do?" Ryan asked. "You saw it yourself. This one contains short, uncontrollable, bursts of power." Zac responded with a yawn. "One more question." Rachael stated, "How do we get to Magicath?" Zac's smile had slightly faded as he said, "That only you can do." Then, he slipped back into the lamp; leaving them all speechless.

**(A/N) Hey, guys and girls…wow, I forgot all about finishing this chapter until just recently. So, I apologize, though I'm pretty sure I've been reasonable with the updating. Haven't I? Well, can any of you guess how to get to Magicath? Can you guess if they do make it to Magicath? What do you think they might find there, if they make it? Anyone who can answer these questions will get a virtual cake! Yeah, that's right, a cake! Has anyone else offered a cake before? I don't think so…I'd advise you take this as an advantage and R&R! Quickly before you're too late! If you are too late, no cake for you. Okay, R&R!**


	28. Magicath

**Disclaimer:** I do not own…check my last 27 chapters and you'll find a whole list of things I don't own. Go ahead and check them, also check for the things I do own. Yeah, you know you want to finish reading this instead of wasting your time. So, read…

**Chapter 28: Magicath**

After everyone had gone back to sleep in their own rooms, Cloe lie awake in her bed. One question remained unanswered. _'How do we get to Magicath?'_ Cloe wondered. It was real, she'd seen it. But Zac had said that only they could get there.

How? There was no earthly mode of transportation that could take you out of this dimension…yet. "It must be some other kind of transportation." Cloe muttered to herself. Perhaps, she'd try meditating to let her thoughts come clearer. She sat up in her bed and allowed her whole body to relax.

She crossed her legs and closed her eyes. She took deep, soothing breaths and cleared her mind. _'Magicath.' _She thought calmly, _'How can we get to Magicath?'_ She repeated it to herself a few times. Suddenly, she started breathing heavily and her heart started pumping adrenaline throughout her body. She saw a starry sky and a rippling vortex.

As she traveled through the vortex, objects flew around her and quickly faded into nothing. At the other side, she saw it. "Magicath!" Cloe whispered as her vision came to an end. She opened her eyes and realized she had broken into an uneasy cold sweat. She sighed and went back to sleep, still trying to figure out what everything meant.

"Ryan!" Cloe screamed excitedly as she burst into his room later on that day, "I have something to tell you!" Ryan was still sleeping, but began to stir upon hearing her voice. Cloe ran over to the bed and climbed onto it. She positioned herself over him so she was kneeling above his chest.

"Wake up!" Cloe told him, "I found out how to get to Magicath!" Ryan, suddenly jolted awake, sat up sliding Cloe off his chest so she was positioned over his legs. "Really?" he asked. Cloe's face was full of excitement as she nodded in agreement. Ryan grabbed her arms and kissed her eagerly. When he pulled back, he said, "I knew you could do it!"

His heart was pounding so hard it almost leaped out of his chest. His face was full of excitement and gratitude. "Let's tell the others!" Cloe stated as she smiled at Ryan. Cloe got off of him as he jumped out if bed. He walked over to Cloe and lifted her off the bed and into his arms. After giving her a tight squeeze, he put her down and the two ran to wake the others.

"All right." Cloe said when they'd all met in the family room, "This is actually very simple." "You're not going to call in the monkeys, are you?" Sharpay stated. "No, this is a much safer way." Cloe responded, "We're going to travel through the Twilight Zone." "You mean, that show is real, too?" Rachael exclaimed, still shocked at their discovery of the Wizard of Oz.

"Sort of." Cloe answered, "The Twilight Zone is a vortex you pass through that will bring you to another dimension. I'm guessing you brought Zac?" Rachael looked down at the lamp she held in her arms. "Of course." She said, "We'll need him to tell us what we don't know about Magicath."

Ryan nodded in agreement. "So, what Cloe suggests we do is focus our energy on finding Magicath." He explained. "Right." Cloe breathed, "Sharpay, do you think we'll need to bring anything for your…problem?" Sharpay just stared at Cloe, thinking about what to say.

"Do you think we'll need anything?" she finally said. Cloe looked at Ryan, who got up and left the room to get the emergency kit, no doubt. Sharpay's tone was more of a regular question; no suggestive tones or an offended expression. Just a simple question that suggested she actually meant it.

"We'll bring a few things just in case." Cloe reassured, not quite believing that Sharpay had changed overnight, "First, we'll need to close all the curtains so no one can see what happens in here." Rachael and Sharpay nodded, as the three girls got up to start the process. By the time Ryan returned with the emergency kit, the girls had finished and were sitting on the ground. Ryan took his place on the floor.

"Hold onto anything you're bringing with you." Cloe warned and Rachael and Ryan tightened a grip on their possessions, "Now, close your eyes and allow your body to relax. Take deep breaths and focus on finding Magicath." They all followed orders, closed their eyes, and relaxed. After taking two deep breaths to calm themselves down, they focused on Magicath.

Cloe felt Sharpay's hand grab onto her arm. Then, the room started to spin. The images of the Twilight Zone projected into their minds. Still focusing on Magicath, they felt their bodies being lifted. Colorful lights blinded them, then suddenly everything stopped and they felt themselves hit a hard surface.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the middle of a valley. Ryan had landed on his back with the emergency kit still clasped in his hands. Rachael had landed on top of him. She was lying across his stomach with the lamp in her arms. Cloe and Sharpay were still sitting next to each other.

Sharpay's grip had tightened increasingly since the trip had begun. Ryan shoved Rachael off himself and sat up. Rachael stood up and helped Ryan get to his feet. "Did anyone get hurt?" Ryan asked as he walked over to Cloe and Sharpay. He extended a hand to each of them and pulled them to their feet.

"Um, I think we're all right." Cloe began, "But my arm is losing circulation." Sharpay looked at where she was holding Cloe's arm. If at all possible, the edges around her hand were white. Sharpay released her grip and removed her hand. Cloe just smiled at Sharpay, who cast her an apologetic look.

"So, do we bring out Zac or wait until the white rabbit, with his very large pocket watch, pops out of a hole?" Rachael asked, remembering Alice in Wonderland. Suddenly, a white rabbit appeared out a hole not too far away from them. "That movie's real, too?" Rachael screamed, as the rabbit pulled out a pocket watch and hopped off, "That's it! Bring on the flying pigs!"

When nothing happened, everyone looked at her with questioning faces. She just crossed her arms and gripped the lamp. "That was unexpected." Sharpay stated, "I think we should bring out Zac and ask him where, in Magicath, we actually are." Rachael rubbed the lamp and Zac appeared. "This is an early wakeup call." He yawned, then looked around, "Why do I get the strange feeling we're not in Albuquerque anymore?"

"That was pretty cool." Rachael said as they transported back into the family room, of the Evans' mansion, a few hours later. "Well, you figured out how to come and go when you please." Zac stated, "Now, you know your way around Magicath." "And we still couldn't find the person who's after you." Cloe said, rather disappointed.

"We'll be all right." Ryan reassured as he set the emergency kit on the coffee table, "We still have plenty of time before the year ends. We'll just have to keep a close eye on Troy and Gabriella." "Don't forget Theresa." Rachael reminded them. "What about her?" Sharpay asked, "She's a foreign exchange student who…wants…to take over the universe." Realization sunk in.

"Rachael and I will keep an eye on her." Cloe reassured. "We will?" Rachael asked, but Cloe elbowed her in the side, "Ow. I mean, we will." "That's great." Zac stated quickly, "But I'm going to take a nap. See ya!" Then, he disappeared into his lamp. Rachael shrugged and walked upstairs with the lamp tucked under her arm.

"Do you think there's something he's not telling us?" Ryan asked the girls in the room. "Just leave him." Cloe said, slowly shaking her head, "He'll tell us on his own time." "You're starting to sound more and more like my mother." Sharpay commented. "Someone needs to take care of all of you." Cloe shrugged, "If I don't, who will?"

Ryan watched her as she walked into the kitchen. Sharpay, noticing this, rolled her eyes and said, "Ryan, quit ogling your girlfriend!" Then, she got up and followed Cloe. Ryan shrugged and made a mental note to himself to find Sharpay a boyfriend.

"Okay, tell me what you've done to Ryan." Sharpay whispered violently as soon as she'd caught up with Cloe, who had started making lunch. "What do you mean?" Cloe asked calmly as she started piecing together a few sandwiches, "Wheat or Rye?"

Sharpay looked at her and then said, "Wheat." Cloe nodded and removed two slices of wheat bread from the bag. "I heard rye is healthier for you." She stated knowingly, avoiding Sharpay's glares. "Okay, then." Sharpay said, "Give me rye." Cloe put the two sliced back in the bag and pulled out two slices of rye bread from the other bag.

"Don't change the subject. What were you and Ryan really doing last night?" Sharpay growled. "Talking." Cloe responded calmly. "About what?" Sharpay demanded. "What's with all these questions?" Cloe questioned, continuing with lunch. "If I don't ask them, who will?" Sharpay responded. Cloe looked up from what she was doing and smiled as she said, "I have a pretty good idea."

Meanwhile, Ryan had managed to sneak passed the girls and head upstairs to the safety of his room…or so he thought. The moment he closed the door behind him, he wished he hadn't. There, sitting on his bed with crossed arms, was Rachael. "Ryan, we need to talk." She said sternly, watching Ryan as he walked across his room to his desk.

"About what?" he asked uncertainly. This did not sound good. To him, it sounded like a confrontation and he utterly disliked confrontations. Still, he sat down in his chair and turned to look Rachael in the eye in an attempt to ease the tension. "Cloe." She told him and saw his expression relax.

"Okay, what about Cloe?" he asked. "What have you been doing to her?" Rachael questioned, "What did you two do last night?" Ryan looked confused and stated simply, "We were talking." That wasn't a lie. They did talk…mostly. "Anything else?" Rachael questioned, "I want the truth."

**(A/N) Hey all of you happy readers. I hope I've been good at updating. Let me know if you are satisfied or not. What do you think will happen next? If you guess, I'll give you a special surprise! Okay, so tell me what you think of this chappie. I hope you liked it cuz it was one of my favorites to write. Okay, I'll update as soon as I get a few reviews from all of you. L8r!**


	29. Clueless

**Disclaimer:** Hello. I don't own anything besides my O.C.s. So sad. Now read it!

**Chapter 29: Clueless**

"Tell us!" Sharpay and Rachael squealed as the four walked down the hallway at school on Monday. They had been trying to get the answers out of Cloe and Ryan all weekend. "Why?" Ryan and Cloe chorused in frustration. "Ryan is my brother!" Sharpay yelled at Cloe. "And Cloe is my best friend!" Rachael yelled at Ryan.

"We will never tell you what you don't need to know." Cloe stated. "And, no, you _don't_ need to know." Ryan told them. "Plus, Ryan and Sharpay should be keeping an eye out for Troy and Gabriella." Cloe reminded them, "Meanwhile, Rachael and I will hunt down Theresa."

"Oh, I really hate it when you're right!" Sharpay snapped at her, "Come on, Ryan." She grabbed his arm and dragged him off in search of their suspects. "Where do we start?" Ryan asked his twin. "Where else would a genius be?" Sharpay retorted rather rudely, "In the science lab!" They headed off in that direction.

As they approached the room, they saw Chad and the jocks walk inside. "Something isn't right." Sharpay said, pulling Ryan to the doorway to see Chad, Taylor, the basketball jocks, and the science squad talking and – by the looks of it – scheming. The two stepped back from the room a bit.

"They must be trying to figure out a way to make sure Troy and Gabriella actually beat us out." Ryan stated, "Now…the jocks run most of the school, but if they get Troy into the musical, then they've conquered the entire student body." "And, if those science girls get Gabriella hooked up with Troy Bolton, the science scholastic club goes from drool to cool." Sharpay said as realization and anger set in, "Ryan, we need to save out show from people who don't know the difference between a Tony Award and Tony Hawk."

They continued walking down the hall. "Once they control the school, who knows what else they'll go for next?" Ryan said, "It might be us. Even by sabotaging the show, they've got us." He looked at his twin sister seriously. Sharpay gasped. "We can't let that happen." She responded, "There may be more people behind this than we thought." "Let's go find Troy and Gabriella just to be sure." Ryan agreed as the two set off.

Meanwhile, Cloe and Rachael had searched everywhere for Theresa, but couldn't find her. They had stopped in the bathroom to catch their breath. "How hard can it be to find a bushy blond-haired midget?" Rachael asked. "Not that hard." Cloe stated, ushering a stunned Rachael into one of the stalls. Rachael gave her a questioning glance, but Cloe silenced her.

Just then, Theresa walked into the bathroom and Rachael understood Cloe's reasoning. "A plan to take over the universe?" Theresa muttered, "I got it! Big Ben goes digital. It would throw so many people off!" She paused a moment, then shook her head. "No, too complicated." she stated, "Ooh! How about sending out flying pigs to rob the world of spoons? Then, they'll all be forced to eat soup with a fork…or a Spork, but who uses those anyway?"

She walked over to the mirror to look at her reflection and frowned. "Who am I kidding?" she said to herself as she pulled out a list, "All of these suggestions sound like they were written by a nine-year-old on crack!" Then, she paused and remembered, "Oh yeah, I wrote this list when I was a nine-year-old. Minus the 'on crack' part."

There was a sudden noise behind her and Theresa slipped the list back into her pocket. She turned around and carefully examined the room. She walked over to the stall the noise came from. Then, she opened it. No one was in there. She shrugged and left the room after checking the other stalls, only to find them empty.

When she was gone, Cloe and Rachael sighed. They looked down at the floor beneath them and thought about what had happened. They both thanked Rachael's uncontrollable burst of power, which had turned them invisible and floated them to the ceiling. That is, until they remembered they were _short_ bursts of uncontrollable power. They immediately became visible and fell to the ground. They both moaned in pain. Rachael had landed on top of Cloe, who landed in a very uncomfortable position.

Why Ryan had insisted on talking to Troy alone, Sharpay had no idea. Instead, he'd left and she was marching down the hallway on her own in the hope of finding Gabriella. Then, Sharpay had an idea. She knew where Gabriella – and possible Troy – might be.

Suddenly, she felt a strong tingling feeling starting at her fingertips and crawling up her arms. She knew what that meant. Before she had time to think clearly, she closed her eyes and was totally concentrated on finding a safe place to hide. The next thing she knew, she felt like she was inside a vacuum. Everything compressed in on her. _"Next stop,"_ a hollow voice called, _"the first floor girls' bathroom of East High School."_

Gabriella had just come out of practice with Kelsi for the callbacks. She'd had so much fun, but for some reason was exhausted. She walked into the bathroom at East High and heaved a satisfied sigh as she walked over to the huge mirror. Looking at her reflection, she contemplated her first few weeks at East High.

It had seemed like she's managed to find a best friend, an almost-boyfriend, and a worst enemy all within the space of a heartbeat. _'What is wrong with everybody lately?'_ Gabriella wondered. It had seemed like Sharpay was on her back from the beginning. Even Sharpay's twin brother, Ryan, had changed. Normally, Ryan was a nice, easy-going kind of guy. Right now, he was as tense as his evil counterpart. What was his problem? The brunette shrugged and figured it was probably the stress he was getting from Sharpay and their call backs.

Outside the bathroom, Sharpay had just landed and fallen into a garbage can. As she opened her eyes, she got up and muttered, "You just have to love those short, uncontrollable bursts of…" She cut herself off as she realized the people staring at her and quickly stated, "Febreeze. No comment!" She backed into the bathroom, really hoping that no one had seen her appear out of nowhere.

She headed into the seemingly empty bathroom, put her purse down on the sinks, and turned to the stalls. She had an eerie feeling that someone was in there with her. Sharpay walked over to one of the stalls, and then kicked it open to reveal no one. It was empty.

Sharpay watched it as the stall door swing closed. Then, she walked up and down the row of stalls checking to see if anyone was in there. When she confirmed it empty, she turned around. She jumped back as she saw her reflection in the mirror. _'Things might not be making sense,'_ she thought as she toyed with her hair, _'but, at least, I still look beautiful.'_ Then, she turned and left the room.

Gabriella's heart had almost stopped when Sharpay had burst into the room. She peered out from behind the wall separating the door from the sinks. She was shocked that Sharpay had walked right passed her. It was as if she wasn't even there. She had almost started to relax until she heard Sharpay's voice coming back. Gabriella quickly hid in the nearest stall just before Sharpay stormed into the room again.

"Wait a minute!" she screamed and paused before walking over to the sink, "I forgot my purse." Sharpay grabbed it and walked over to Gabriella's stall. "Plus, I know you're in there Gabriella." she stated in a harsh tone, "We need to talk!"

The brunette gulped as she gathered her breath and exited the stall. Facing the evil blond, Gabriella took the first shot. "Listen, Sharpay. I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry." Gabriella stated, "I never meant to get you angry with me. If it's the musical, I didn't even audition. Miss. Darbis overheard us fooling around. She's the one you should talk to, not me." At that, she pushed passed Sharpay and left the room, leaving the blond to stare in confusion.

Ryan was walking down the hallway searching for Troy, when he heard singing coming from an empty classroom. He stopped in front of it and put his ear to the door. It was definitely Troy practicing for the callbacks. Ryan started fiddling with the doorknob, but the room was locked. He pulled his ear away from the door and stopped. He got down on the floor to sneak a peek inside from under the door.

Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. He got up, left the door, and headed into a nearby janitor's closet. Then, he focused all his abilities in attempt to transport himself into the locked room. Instead, nothing happened. He walked out of the closet and returned to the door. When he touched the handle, the door unlocked.

Troy's heart was about to thump right out of his chest. That was how scared he felt. Yeah, the Wildcat basketball superstar was…scared. The moment the door unlocked itself, he knew he's been caught rehearsing by himself for the callbacks.

The doorknob turned and the door slowly began to open. There was nowhere to hide, so he sat there rooted to his spot on one of the benches in the room. When the door opened enough for someone to look through, he saw Ryan's head appear though the crack.

Troy's face grew slowly paler as Ryan stared directly at him with eyes of fire. Troy didn't know why, but he was terrified. Maybe he was scared of being caught or maybe he was scared of Ryan…and his fist. For a dancer, he had a rock solid punch. Troy's jaw had almost been slammed through to the other side of his face. Once thing was for sure, he'd never expected it.

"Hey." Troy finally picked up the courage to say something. Ryan opened the door and walked into the room, silently closing it behind him, glaring at Troy the entire time. "Hey." he responded stiffly. _'What was up with this dude?'_ Troy wondered. Ryan wasn't himself. Something had happened.

"What's up?" Troy asked. "Lots of things." Ryan responded sternly, "Why did you audition for the musical?" Troy finally understood what Ryan was angry about. "Dude, I didn't audition." Troy stated flatly, "I'm only doing this for Gabriella."

So, he _was_ right, Ryan realized. The innocent-looking brunette was behind it, but maybe Troy was in it for the joke…or the girl. That was definitely something East High's Golden Boy would do. "Nice choice of words." Ryan stated, "Just like your choice of words when you were talking to my _girlfriend_." Ryan recalled the moment Troy had stopped Cloe. His eyes flashed danger at Troy and knew he had to control himself.

The bombshell hit him and Troy finally got it. "Yeah…I'm sorry about that, dude." Troy began to explain, "It's just that…you're…" "What? A dancer? Is that it?" Ryan asked, anger turning to rage, "The things I wear to the things I do make me who I am inside?" Troy stared back at him frightened at the fury evidently clear in Ryan's blue eyes. That was another thing Troy hadn't expected from the blond. If he wasn't who everyone thought he was, then who was he?

**(A/N) YAY! I'm finally done with this chappie. So, whoever wants to make a guess about what will happen next, will get a virtual cookie whether they get it right or wrong. So, R&R! I want at least 1 review for this chappie before I update the next one.**


	30. Kidnapped

**Disclaimer:** I'm sorta tired of writing these, so you know what I do and don't own. I trust you that much. plz just read…yawn!

**Chapter 30: Kidnapped**

**(A/N) Hey, everyone…I was sorta high on caffeine when I wrote that last chappie, which is the only way I am able to think like Theresa. Just so ya know…coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee! COFFEE! : ) But I'm glad you all liked it! Any suggestions on what you want to see later on? Just let me know. Oh, and remember the whole pregnancy thing? Well, that gets explained in this chappie…along with a bunch of other somewhat forgotten stuffs! Now R&R!**

Sharpay had left the bathroom and found Ryan exiting a classroom. She had grabbed him and given him a rundown of her plan as she dragged him in the direction of the auditorium where they were now. Kelsi had been preparing her compositions for the musical when the twins marched onto the stage behind Miss. Darbis. Curiosity got the better of her and, just to be sure she wasn't seen, Kelsi hid behind the piano; listening attentively.

"So, if you're telling me, as co-presidents of the drama club, that changing the callbacks would be what's best for our theatre then…I might actually agree with you." Miss. Darbis was saying as she walked off, no doubt, to take care of the matter. There was an awkward **(strange, weird, not normal, different, what? ... inside joke only Theresa would get … using character name, of course)** silence in which the twins looked at each other. "Is that a yes?" Ryan asked in slight confusion. Sharpay winked at him happily.

"No." Kelsi whispered to herself as she saw Sharpay's evil grin curl around the edges of her mouth. Ryan looked in Kelsi's direction managing to catch a glimpse of her before she realized it and ducked behind the piano once again, out of sight. As the twins left, Kelsi realized the two had planned to switch the callbacks to the day of Troy and Gabriella's competitions. Whatever else they'd planned couldn't be good. Kelsi sighed as she held her head in her hands.

Meanwhile, Cloe and Rachael were currently running through the halls; frantically searching for someone they could report Theresa's conversation to. As they turned a corner, they collided with Ryan and Sharpay. "Thank goodness we found you!" Cloe stated as the four backed up to give each other space. There were way too many corners in this school, which led to way too many collisions, especially with all this running going on.

"We've got news…very big news!" Rachael exclaimed. "So do we." Ryan explained happily. "We know who's behind this scandal." Sharpay stated with a satisfied smirk, "And we've stopped them from their sabotage." "Really?" Cloe asked, an eyebrow raised. "Who?" Rachael questioned with a smile. "Who else would it be?" Sharpay told them, "It's Gabriella!"

"_What?_" Rachael almost screamed, "It's totally Theresa!" "We overheard her contemplating what to do to conquer the universe!" Cloe added. "Well, we talked to Troy and Gabriella and got the facts." Ryan told her, "Gabriella planned it and Troy's just along for the ride." "Or maybe we're not understanding it properly." Cloe argued. "Quit bickering!" Sharpay complained. "And you two say you don't act like a couple." Rachael muttered before moving the group forward.

As they walked, Cloe got a gut-wrenching feeling. She moaned slightly. The pain hurt and her heart ached indescribably. The first thing that came to mind was that something horrible was about to happen. She shrugged it off as soon as she reached the doors that lead onto campus. As they walked onto the steps, they noticed that no one seemed to be around. The same pain shot through Cloe's gut, like a knife had just stabbed her. She moaned again.

This time, Ryan noticed and stopped. "What's wrong?" he asked; his face full of concern. "Cramps." Cloe responded, standing still a moment. "Are you sure?" he asked her again. Cloe shook her head as a wave of indescribable pain coursed through her body. Ryan grabbed her to prevent her from falling to the ground. Then, Sharpay and Rachael stopped only a foot or two away. The group looked up and discovered the reason why no one was around. Up in the now purple sky was a huge inter-dimensional worm hole.

In other words, it was like the Twilight Zone had opened up and all hell broke loose through it. Through the swirling vortex, the vampiric monkeys flew out, their scaly wings flapping violently. Then, another swarm of flying creatures followed the monkeys. They were pigs! At that moment, both Rachael and Cloe knew who was behind it all. That thought seemed to spread to the twins because their faces had the exact same identical expression of fear as a lightening bolt appeared and with it came the girl with all the answers…and the evil.

**(A/N 2) K then…I guess that's it! Now press that little button called review! Wait a minute…scroll down…**

**Yeah, that's it, keep scrolling down…**

**A bit more…**

**keep going…**

**you're almost there…**

**wait! Are those more words? What do you know? They are! Now read them! Teehee!**

As the two twins looked up with identical expressions of horror plastered in their faces, the person behind this whole scam was revealed. Theresa was hovering in front of the swirling vortex which was still producing the swarms of pigs and monkeys. She laughed manically, as she viewed the faces below her. Looking up, they saw her body get thinner and her face became narrower with distinct feline features, making her look much older.

"So, it took you this long to finally figure it out." she laughed at them. Cloe looked up from where she was crouching to hold back the pain. As slight tears filled her eyes, she figured Theresa was the one who inflicted the pain on her the entire time. "She was responsible for those cramps." Cloe muttered quietly. Rachael remembered her early accusations and sent her an apologetic look.

"Very good." Theresa acknowledged Cloe's realization with a smirk, "Can you guess what _else_ I've been doing?" "You also made that puddle in the cafeteria appear to throw us off!" Ryan slapped a free hand to his forehead as he realized what had happened. "_And_ to ruin my new outfit!" Sharpay added ignoring the rest.

"Ryan seems to have gotten smarter since the last time I made him believe what I wanted." Theresa chuckled. "What?" Rachael asked in shock. "You, too, Rachael." she responded obviously amused with herself, "Remember that staring contest? Did you seriously think it was only a game? During that time, I was slowly taking over your mind; attempting to control you. If Cloe hadn't brought you back, you would have been one of my monkeys."

"You're _not_ serious!" Sharpay screamed. "I'm _deathly_ serious." Theresa responded, "As for the boy, all I had to do was get him to open up to me and discuss his differences between him and his sister. After he made it so easy to see inside, all I had to do was insert into his mind everything I wanted him to see and think. It was really very easy."

Ryan glared at her for that last insult. He always knew his kindness would hurt him. "Why didn't you go for the rest of us?" Sharpay questioned. "I couldn't." Theresa sated with angry eyes, "Cloe's mind couldn't be tapped. For those with The Sight, it is harder to unlock their mind. The only thing I could try to do was weaken it…with _pain_!" Another burst of pain erupted throughout her body. She collapsed almost out of breath, that's how much it hurt, but she kept her mind focused on the situation in front of her.

Theresa smiled only slightly before continuing, "Sharpay was too complicated to crack. She had way too much running around in her head. All the chaos and havoc going on could have been dangerous for me to try and tap. For all you know, I could have made all this happen. I might have even been the one who planned your future _and_ your past!" She let out an evil laugh. That's when it finally clicked.

"_You_ did this to Sharpay! _You_ made this happen to her!" Ryan screamed, anger evident in his voice, venom pulsing in each word. "You bet I did!" Theresa snapped back proudly, "I kidnapped your mothers, killed the king, and will proceed to absorb your power destroying you in the process!" "What about Big Ben goes digital or stealing spoons?" Rachael pleaded desperately, "Wouldn't that be fair?" "Fair? _Fair?_ _You're_ telling _me_ about _fair_?" Theresa screamed in rage, "Life's not fair! I've been locked up for 20years…_20 years_! Is that fair?" "What did you _do_?" Sharpay asked in a disgusted tone.

"I absorbed the king's powers and unintentionally destroyed him. I meant to drain him completely and keep him locked up, but something went wrong. I planned to do the same with your mothers, but they disappeared after capturing me." Theresa explained, "I escaped and tried to find them, but they'd left Magicath. I searched every dimension possible until I found you. It took me a while of following you around to discover where you're mothers were. They were well aware of the difficulties of raising magical children of their own, so they prevented your powers from giving you away."

This made her smile as she said, "So, they left you. I found them and kidnapped them, intending to finish what I started. But they had given up their powers to bind yours. How sweet. I _despise_ sweet! Almost as much as I despise eating meat, but I'm willing to make an exception for humans." "You're going to _eat_ them?" Sharpay squealed with utter disgust. "Cannibals do that. Save the cow; eat the meat-eaters. We tend to eat our own kind. And being a vegetarian makes it all the more fun." Theresa responded, "And I _love_ to have fun!"

At that, she raised her hands above her head and the vortex started sucking in objects of all kinds. Mainly it was aimed at them. Ryan crouched down and grabbed onto Cloe to keep her from flying away. Sharpay and Rachael ducked behind the two. "Now, feel my wrath!" Theresa cried out as lightening hit. In that moment, the vortex sucked in even harder and started to pull Sharpay towards it. Rachael held onto the side wall and attempted to grab Sharpay, but she missed and Ryan managed to catch her and hold her back.

That was, until the vortex started sucking Cloe towards it, too. Ryan grabbed both of them, but the vortex was too strong. The two girls were sucked into the air. Ryan grabbed their hands as Rachael grabbed a hold of his waist in attempt to help. Theresa laughed maniacally as she watched the vortex continue with even more strength. "Ryan, stop being stupid and let go!" Sharpay yelled at him. "No, I can't lose you!" Ryan responded, unwilling to let them get hurt. "If you don't, we'll all get sucked in!" Sharpay screamed, "I'll take care of her."

Ryan knew she meant Cloe, but he was too determined to succeed. There was no way he'd let go. "I promise you I won't hurt myself." Sharpay stated, "I promise, Ry." Ryan's heart sank. She hadn't called him that in years. "Shar, I promise I'll come and find you or I'll die trying." he responded. Cloe looked into his eyes and grabbed hold of Sharpay as Ryan knew what he had to do. He let go and watched as the two girls got sucked into the vortex and everything vanished. He sat there with Rachael, looking up at the blue sky and thought of how he's just let his sister and his girlfriend go all in on simple motion.

**(A/N 3) Wow, that was a pseudo (false) – ending. My first fake cliffie! WOW! Luv that! Didn't you? I hope so. What did you think? Do you want to review? What was that? You do? Well, then go ahead and click that little button that says so right down there in the left hand corner. Go on…you know you want to…DO IT! YAY! Okay, now review…plz… :)**


	31. Back To Magicath

**Disclaimer: **Okay, you know I don't own the recognized stuffs. I totally own the o.c.s though…all the peoplz you don't recognize from the movie. I doubt anyone's reading these. And I wish you all will like this. Merry reading!

**Chapter 31: Back To Magicath**

Cloe and Sharpay screamed as they traveled through the wormhole. They gripped each other tightly to prevent from being separated. Wherever they were going, they had a feeling it might be Magicath. As a matter of fact, they were about to find out. "Cloe, if we don't make it out of here alive," Sharpay yelled, "I want to say I'm sorry for being so mean." "It's not your fault, Sharpay." Cloe had to yell back in order to be heard over the wind, "Besides, I think we're about to land." "Okay, then." Sharpay stated, "Brace yourself!"

The other end of the wormhole opened up and the girls were spit out. They crash landed onto a hard cement floor. The girls stopped screaming and slowly got up. Still grabbing onto each other in fear, the two took in their surroundings. They seemed to be in a small, dark, cement room with a metal barred door. There was only one tine window, which had metal bars on it to prevent anyone's escape. The window showed a dark and gloomy sky. It would have looked like a normal rainy day, except there was lightening and a huge swarm of flying monkeys and pigs.

"We can't be in Magicath, can we?" Sharpay whispered. "Actually, you can be and you are." a stranger's voice stated calmly. The girls spun around instantly, only to realize that someone must have been in another part of the room. "This is a dungeon…the horrible place we're doomed to stay in until the wiccen decides what she wants to do with us." another voice called.

At that, Sharpay looked around. She knew that voice. It was the same voice that had lulled her to sleep at night. "Leave them alone, Corrine. They're just children." the other voice stated, "They're frightened, can't you tell?" "As if _we_ aren't, Delilah." Corrine responded with a sigh. "Corrine?" Cloe whispered to herself in realization. "Mother!" Sharpay squealed excitedly, grabbing Cloe's hands in excitement. "Sharpay?" Corinne asked, "Is that really you? How did you get here?"

"It's a long story." Sharpay began slowly. "What's even longer is your story." Cloe began, "Mrs. Thomas?" "Cloe?" Delilah Thomas responded, "You're here, too?" "Yes, Mrs. Thomas." Cloe said. "Or, in my case, Aunty Delilah." Sharpay added. "You know?" Mrs. Evans asked. "We know about everything." Sharpay responded. "Then, why is Cloe here?" Mrs. Thomas questioned, "Does she know?" "Yes, I know." Cloe answered. "Then, why are you here?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"I'm psychic." Cloe answered simply. "_And_ Ryan's girlfriend." Sharpay added reluctantly, making Cloe blush. "How come I didn't get told this?" Mrs. Evans demanded. "Ryan neglected to tell me and Rachael, at first." Sharpay explained. "Oh my gosh…Rachael!" Mrs. Thomas remembered, "Where is she? Is she okay?" "She's fine." Cloe said reassuringly, "She's with Ryan back at school." "They're alone? With the wiccen out to get them? With all this knowledge and no idea where we are?" Mrs. Thomas started to panic, "Who knows what trouble they could get into!"

"Relax, Delilah." Mrs. Evans said calmly, "Ryan's a smart boy and Rachael is very logical. They'll find us and avoid any trouble." "I suppose you're right." Mrs. Thomas agreed starting to calm down. "Right now, we need to know what the girls have figured out." Mrs. Evans said and the girls started to describe the whole situation. "I should have known the wiccen would follow you and continue if she got too corrupted." Mrs. Thomas spoke up once they were finished.

"But we have a question for you, Mrs. Evans." Cloe said, "What happened to Sharpay that made her…you know…" "You can say it! Suicidal! Depressed! It doesn't bother me. I've had to live with it ever since I can remember." Sharpay interrupted. "Calm down, pumpkin." Mrs. Evans said, "When you and Ryan were born, the wiccen had sent out to find you. The first night we spent at home in New York she found us. She tried to cast a spell on you two, but I fled. It was only a few weeks after I'd returned from Arabia where I'd met your father on his business trip. The wiccen sent her flying minions after us. They tried to steal you and your brother. It was them that I realized how powerful you two really were."

She paused a moment to sigh. "You see, your brother saved you that night. Ryan destroyed them all with a flick of his hand when one tried to hurt you." Mrs. Evans explained, "After that, I knew he'd stick around you and protect you, so I didn't expect what came next. The wiccen trapped me in an alley. The next thing I knew, she was spitting out magic left and right. I _had_ to put you two down to protect you, but the wiccen knocked me aside and the next thing I knew she was hovering over you two."

She paused and sobbed before continuing. "By then, there was nothing I could do. She grabbed you and attempted to run away, but Ryan – I don't know how he did it – but somehow he managed to blast the wiccen onto the ground. As she realized there was nothing more she could do, she cast her spell, dropped you, and ran." Mrs. Evans gasped through her tears, "It wasn't until I got up and gathered you two together that I realized your powers were giving you away. So, I bound them and we moved to Albuquerque."

There was no noise from the other side of the wall besides the sobs coming from Sharpay's mother. It stayed like that for a while as Sharpay suddenly felt a pang of guilt for all the times she'd hurt her brother. Then, a waved of gratitude for his help washed over her. That didn't last long before fear for her brother's life filled her thoughts. "Mother, what's going to happen next?" Sharpay asked weakly. "Only the wiccen knows what will happen to us and to Ryan and Rachael." Mrs. Evans sobbed. "We'll get out of this…soon." Cloe reassured. Even if she had to use every ounce of power and strength she had, she would get through to Ryan somehow. "All we'll need is a little time…and plenty of patience." Cloe explained, and then proceeded to sit down and meditate.

Meanwhile, back at school…

"I can't believe I just let go." Ryan was saying. Rachael crawled up behind him and put a hand on his uneasy shoulder, but he pulled away. "Don't blame yourself." Rachael stated pulling her hand back. "The only one with the ability to get back here and avoid danger is Sharpay." Ryan told her, "Who knows where they are and what's happening right now?" "That's just my point, Ryan. You can't blame yourself. There are more important things to worry about." Rachael explained as she stood up and walked down the steps. "Where are you going?" Ryan asked quietly. Without turning around, Rachael simply replied, "Somewhere." At that, Ryan sighed, got up, and followed.

Suddenly, Cloe opened her eyes. She stood up and noticed Sharpay sitting in a corner of the room staring at her. "Well, I know what Ryan and Rachael are up to." she told the others, "They're going to work out a plan to find us." "Really?" Sharpay asked, her eyes lighting up. Maybe there was help on the way, after all. "Yes, but for now the only person who can get us out of here is you." Cloe explained, then realized what that meant and added, "We're doomed."

She sat down on the ground desperately wracking her mind for an alternate solution. Sharpay stood and scowled as she curtly said, "Don't assume." At that moment, the cell door opened and Cloe turned to face it. Sharpay had her arms crossed and a smug smile on her face. "Very classy." Cloe explained, "Now, let's get out of here." "We can't forget my mother and apparently my aunt." Sharpay reminded her flatly with a grimace. Cloe stood up, ushered Sharpay out of the cell, then stopped t take in the rest of their surroundings.

They were in a huge cement room with a bunch of smaller jail cells like the one they'd just come out of. They walked over to the one next to their and saw two figures inside. "Mom?" Sharpay whispered, "Delilah?" A hiss came from inside the cell. The girls jumped back. "_Leave._" a high pitched voice hissed, "_Now._" The two figures walked over to the cell door. Then, the girls saw it. "Sharpay…lets go." Cloe squeaked in a hoarse whisper, "They've been turned into the monkeys." "But…we can't just leave them!" Sharpay pointed out in a fear-filled voice. "We'll just have to come back for them." Cloe reassured before grabbing Sharpay's arm, and dragging her through the door saying, "Right now, we have to go, Sharpay. Come on!"

**(A/N) Okay, just to clear one thing up. No offense meant to the wiccens. I just thought it fit appropriately here. Sorry if I offended, but it's not what I believe and I didn't want to poke fun at it. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say because I won't tell you to worship the monkey if you don't want to (inside joke meaning I won't try to convert anyone) so long as you don't tell me to. K? If I offended in any way, plz let me know and it was not intentional. So sry if I did. BTW, what did you think of my false ending? And of this new chappie. Amazing, huh? Or just blah…which one? Plz let me know and I hope many new and old questions were answered though many more to come. Smiles brightly. =D**


	32. Secrets of the Past

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything recognized. I own all the unrecognized stuffs. Read on. _If you dare_…no really, plz read on.

**Chapter 32: Secrets of the Past**

"Rachael!" Ryan screamed, pleading for her to slow down, "Where are we going?" The two were walking along the sidewalk heading in the opposite direction of the Evans' mansion. Rachael was in front and Ryan was following a few feet behind her. "You'll find out." She told him without stopping or turning around. "Rachael!" Ryan pleaded, "Just tell me or else…I'll stay here." He stopped and watched as Rachael continued walking.

"Fine by me." She called back to him. Ryan rolled his eyes and ran to catch up with her. "Rachael, how is not telling me where you're me going to help us any?" he exclaimed as soon as he was by her side. "I'd tell you, but you'd never agree to follow, if I did." Rachael answered, not even pausing before turning the corner. Ryan stopped before he continued to follow her, and asked, "Why? What makes you say that?" Rachael quickly glanced at him and nodded before returning her gaze to where she was going.

"Because…I have a feeling you'd object." She said before crossing the street. Ryan paused before running to catch up with her as a car drove by. "You know, if you slow down, you might be able to notice a few more things like the fact that you almost got hit by a car." Ryan told her, after watching her walk in from of the speeding car and get out of the way just in time. "There's no time for slowing down. You want to save Cloe and Sharpay, don't you?" Rachael shot back at him, ignoring the back end of the statement.

"Of course, I do, but I'm also concerned about you." Ryan explained, concern definitely engraved into his expression. Rachael ignored him as he followed her down the sidewalk. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. "What are you doing?" Ryan questioned. "Calling someone to let them know we're coming." Rachael stated as Ryan sighed and shook his head in frustration.

Meanwhile…

"I told you not to stop and ask for directions!" Cloe panted as she ran through the endless halls of the castle they were in. "Sorry, but I panicked!" Sharpay screeched back at her, running next to her. "So, you asked _those guys_?" Cloe screamed indicating the giant black-armored knights chasing them. "_Yeah!_" Sharpay responded as they ran, "Ever heard of 'your knight in shining armor'?" "Yeah…but these guys are big and not-so-friendly looking." Cloe breathes as the two kept running.

The next thing they knew, the dark knights started shooting lasers at them from their giant metal staffs. "So much for my knight in shining armor!" Sharpay announced, now even more terrified, "This is a really bad day for wearing heels." Cloe shook her head and sighed. Then, an idea hit her. "Hey, you got your powers to work when you bust us out of the cell. Do you think you can do that now to get us out of here or at least to protect us?" Cloe asked hopefully as they looked for somewhere else to run to.

"No!" Sharpay responded as the two dodged blasts, "Do you know how long I was holding that in for? Ages, that's how long! There's no way I can produce that amount of magic." They rounded a corner as another blast whizzed past their heads. More of the dark knights were coming at them from the other direction. The world was full of corners and they were starting to become their worst enemy. "Well, don't you thing now might be a good time to try?" Cloe pleaded as the two stopped and realized they were cornered. Sharpay just looked at Cloe with terrified eyes.

"No!" Ryan exclaimed as eh finally realized where they were. His eyes were narrowed with accusation as he glared at Rachael who shrugged. They were standing on the front steps of a pink house. "I knew you were going to disagree with me." Rachael sighed as she knocked on the door, "There's no other choice." "I don't know what you're getting at, but I don't think this is such a good idea." Ryan objected. "It's a little too late for that one, cous." Rachael muttered as the door opened to reveal a friendly looking, brown-haired woman.

"Rachael, how nice to see you." She said, "And this must be Ryan, Cloe's boyfriend. How are you, dear? Come in." The two were ushered inside and the woman closed the door before following them into the kitchen. "You must be Cloe's mom." Ryan stated, trying to force a smile and sound polite. "Yes, you seem like a very nice young man. A bit scrawny, but what does size matter these days? It's personality that really counts." The woman stated before returning to Rachael with a concerned look, "I got your call, Rachael, and tell me…is Cloe all right?"

Rachael looked at her and said, "We're about to find out." "That's very nice of you. I'm so glad she's found great friends like you." Cloe's mom stated, "But, who's she with?" "My sister…_twin_ sister, Sharpay." Ryan said suspicion evident in his voice though he kept it out of his expression. "Oh. You mean, she's the Drama Queen of your school." Cloe's mom stated as she raised an eyebrow and stared at Ryan, "Is _she_ going to be all right?"

This confused Ryan even more. "Yes…and no." he responded, "Yes, she should be fine…and no, she's got a lot on her plate at the moment." "Well, you better hurry on upstairs now. Rachael knows the way." Cloe's mom directed and then walked out of the kitchen. "What was that all about?" Ryan asked Rachael the moment they were in Cloe's room. "She's psychic, too, Ryan." she responded quickly, "Couldn't you tell? She knows about all of it."

"So, why are we in Cloe's room?" Ryan asked to change the subject. When it came to talking about his girlfriend's abilities, he was extremely uneasy. Though, he wasn't sure why. It had almost seemed like fate. Maybe, it was because of what Coe was still capable of that kind of worried him. "Because…we need an item of Cloe's that we'll be able to use in order to find her." Rachael explained as she rummaged through her friend's desk in search of a hair brush, "And we already know Sharpay will be with her, but we best use Cloe's stuff to track her down. Plus, Sharpay would probably kill us."

Ryan nodded in agreement as Rachael pulled out Cloe's hairbrush from her desk drawer. Though he didn't know why, Ryan felt like he wasn't getting the whole story. Then, Rachael removed Zac's lamp from her bag. She rubbed it and Zac appeared. "Hey, Baby Cakes…" he greeted her, then turned and noticed Ryan standing there, "…and Ryan. I suppose you'll need an explanation." "First, bring out the amulet, Snuggle Bunny." Rachael responded.

"Okay, just forget I'm even here." Ryan stated a bit wierded out, "I'll just watch your public display and possibly puke." "As if you and your girlfriend don't have pet names." Rachael rolled her eyed. "Touché." Ryan muttered. Zac just grinned as he handed a green amulet to Rachael. "Ryan, I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, but this amulet is the secret of the lamp." Zac stated with a smile. "An amulet?" Ryan questioned in dull surprise, "As in…a _necklace_?" "Not quite." Rachael explained, "This 'necklace', as you call it, can track down anyone as long as you have an item of theirs with their DNA somewhere on it. This is how we'll find Cloe and Sharpay."

"With a necklace?" Ryan asked, "We're going to risk their lives with a _necklace_?" "This amulet isn't any normal amulet. It came from the lamp, which means, it has the power to find them." Rachael told him with a small smile, "Have some faith, Ryan." Ryan smiled at that thought, but a pang of guilt hit him in the gut. He wouldn't get over the fact that he'd just let them go. "Ryan, snap out of it." Rachael told him, recognizing his pained expression. "We're going to find them." Zac reassured and the three sighed. "What do we have to do?" Ryan questioned determined to help.

"We have to press our chosen item into the back of the amulet and it will give us the exact location linking us directly to Cloe." Rachael explained. "Let's do it then." Ryan urged, "We can't waste time." Rachael nodded as she clicked the brush into the back of the amulet. It glowed bright green. Ryan gathered in front of it just in time to hear a hollow voice say, "Person: found, Location: Black Heights, Dimension: Magicath."

"Sharpay!" Cloe screamed urgently as the two backed up into a wall, "Now, might be a god time to decide." Sharpay's terrified mind scrambled to figure out what to do. Her last words to Ryan were about Cloe and herself_. "I'll take care of her."_ she had said, _"I promise you I won't hurt myself. I promise, Ry."_ She hadn't called him that in forever, but her mind was made up. As the knights surrounded them, Sharpay jumped in front of Cloe and thrust her hands out. As a round of lasers shot at them, Sharpay moved her hands redirecting the blasts back at the dark knights. A group of them were hit and they immediately disintegrated.

Another round was fired at them. This time, Sharpay summoned the blasts into one huge ball of energy. She watched it grow and then threw it back at the largest group of dark knights. They also disintegrated. Still, there were even more knights surrounding them. There were too many for her to continue blasting, but then she got an idea. She summoned all the power she had inside of her and took a deep breath. Cloe took that as a sign to plug her ears.

Then, Sharpay let out an ear-piercing scream that was longer and louder than any scream she'd ever produced before. All of the knights in the vicinity stopped dead in their tracks and turned into dust, then disappeared. When Sharpay stopped, he turned to Cloe and breathlessly said, "Let's go." "Not so fast." a voice called. The two looked up and saw their worst nightmare. "How did you manage to do _that_?" the voice stated. It was then that the girls realized who else was in their predicament. "No!" Cloe and Sharpay screamed.

**(A/N) So, that's another chappie. OOH! Climax. Grabs bucket of popcorn and starts munching. How was it? What will happen next? Um…does anyone still care? Here's my new goal. I want a minimum of 200 reviews on this fic. I won't bother doing the math now, but there's only a few chappies left. Under 10 so that's like 5 reviews per every single chappie, but technically it would be around 7 reviews per every single chappie I've posted so far. Don't worry, I'll be waiting. Even if you have to go back to previous chappies and review, it would be greatly appreciated and they **_**will**_** count. =D So, yeah…R&R. Leave me pretty reviews and you'll get more chappies. YAY!**


	33. The Amulet

**Disclaimer:** I do not own High School Musical…or Lucas Grabeel…or anything you recognize. However, I do own the characters you don't recognize…well, by now you should recognize them since this is the 33rd chapter, so I'll rephrase that last statement. Clears throat. I own everything you don't recognize…from the movie. K? Good. Now plz continue reading and review for me so that I'll have my full demand of 200 reviews for this fic. YAY!

**Chapter 33: The Amulet**

"How does someone get so insanely evil?" Sharpay asked as she looked up to see Ryan and Rachael hovering in a cage with Theresa sitting on top of it holding Zac's lamp and a peculiar green amulet. "Oh, we've set pretty high standards." Theresa smiled smugly. "What standards?" Sharpay screamed in confusion and anger. "None that wouldn't apply to you." Theresa mocked. Sharpay narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists as she started growling in offense. She raised her hands above her head so her palms were flat. "Uh, uh." Theresa scolded shaking her head with a sly grin, "You wouldn't want ou beloved brother to have an _accident_, now would you?"

Sharpay lowered her hands and clenched her fists again, digging her nails into her skin. She was losing control and that was exactly what Theresa wanted her to do. Cloe looked up and saw Rachael whispering something to Ryan whose face was drained of all color as he looked down at Cloe. Something wasn't right. "Face it, Sharpay. You know the saying 'If you can't beat them, join them'. I think that applies here. Don't you?" Theresa prodded, "I have the lamp and the amulet. I have your family! There's only one more person I need and that's you."

"You know, I'm not the only one here." Sharpay reminded her suspiciously. "So, Cloe's psychic. Big whoop! It's you who really matters." Theresa stated, "Give up; join me. You can have everything you've ever wanted. You know it's all about you." "Tempting offer, but I get everything I want now." Sharpay spat, venom pulsing through her veins. "Not quite." Theresa corrected as she smiled smugly. She waved her hand and an orb appeared in mid-air between the two groups. An image of Troy appeared in the middle of it. "This…_this_ is what you really want and you know you can't have it." Theresa teased, as an image of Gabriella appeared next to Troy's image, "And this is why."

The orb disappeared bringing the images with it. "If you eliminate the problem, you get what you want." Theresa tempted. "Don't do it, Shar." Ryan suddenly blurted out. "Silence!: Theresa shouted at him and shocked him with her magic, making him jolt back in pain. "You can't do that to him!" Sharpay and Cloe screeched then glanced at each other briefly before focusing on Theresa again. "Oh, yes I can." Theresa said confidently.

"Stay out of it, Cloe." Ryan warned and Theresa sent another shock to him body. Rachael had crawled over to him and attempted to help ease the pain. "Ryan, just…shut up!" Sharpay yelled at her twin, so he wouldn't get hurt again. He'd suffered enough just trying to protect her and he didn't need anymore pain. Plus, if anyone was going to torture her brother, it would be her. "Anyone else have something to say?" Theresa asked, daring someone else to speak and sighed when no one did, "I didn't think so."

"Are you going to torture us and then leave us to suffer?" Cloe finally stepped up and asked her, "You figure you know everything and can torture them, but forget about me? How typically naïve of the villain." "Hey, that's my job, plus there's nothing you can do to stop me." Theresa exclaimed as she let her hand with the green amulet drop down to the bars of the cage. "That's what I thought you'd say." Cloe responded trying to buy them some time, "So typical."

She saw Ryan inch towards the hand with the amulet. "I have nothing else to say about it. With this amulet I can –" she stated and stopped, realizing that the amulet was no longer in her hand, "All right, whoever took it is going to pay. They better return it…_now_!" "That's not going to happen anytime soon." Rachael stated as Ryan held up the amulet. "Cloe, catch." Ryan shouted and tossed it to her; when she caught it he instructed, "Quick, put it on!"

"No!" Theresa screamed, eyes full of rage, "If you do, I'll make you pay. I'll take away your little friends." "Just do it." Ryan told her and Theresa shot another shock through his body, "Trust me." Cloe slowly put it on and cast them all a confused look. "I warned you. Now I'll have to get rid of all of you." Theresa muttered in frustration, "You are such typical 'heroes'. Always getting in the way and making my job harder."

As the amulet around Cloe's neck glowed bright green, Theresa floated down to the floor. She trudged over to Cloe, who was looking up questioningly at Ryan and Rachael. "Cloe." Sharpay muttered, "Be careful." Theresa stopped in front of the two, pushed Sharpay out of the way, and crossed her arms. Cloe looked at Theresa and realized the amulet was glowing even brighter. "You have three seconds to hand it over to me or I'll have to take it from you." Theresa demanded intimidating even for her small size.

"No." Cloe responded trying to sound confident, "Why _should_ I give this to you?" Theresa glared at her. "Because I said so." She complained, eyeing the amulet with greed, "Now give it back." "I'm warning you, Cloe. Don't do it." Ryan warned her desperately. "Do I have to keep doing this over and over until you learn?" Theresa called frustration clear in the way she thrust her hands in his direction and sent an even more powerful shock through his body.

This time, Cloe felt it too and it seriously hurt. _'Poor Ryan.'_ She thought as she clutched her stomach. Then, she realized that Theresa wasn't aiming the pain towards her, but she was feeling Ryan's pain. And she was also feeling his frustration and fear. Psychics feel the emotions of the people around them and sometimes their pain. Then, Cloe realized something and quickly devised a plan. "If you want the amulet, you'll have to take it from me." She managed to say.

Theresa stopped producing the magical blast and faced Cloe. "You're going to let me take it?" Theresa questioned in disbelief and Cloe nodded, "Good girl." Ryan and Rachael both looked at each other knowing what Cloe was trying to do. Sharpay, on the other hand, did not. She stared in pure horror at the scene in front of her. She was still angry that she'd been pushed aside and wanted to knock Theresa to the ground. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot, focusing on what was about to happen.

As Theresa's hands reached out greedily towards the glowing green, Cloe squinted her eyes shut. The second Theresa's fingertips touched the amulet, she was blast backwards. The cage containing Ryan and Rachael disappeared and the two fell. Sharpay instinctively thrust out her hands and the two stopped right before they hit the ground. "I think I've said this before, but just in case…I'm mildly afraid of heights." Ryan stated and Sharpay gently placed them on the ground. They all sighed in relief. "I don't blame you." Rachael whispered to him.

"I should have seen that one coming." Theresa complained as she sat up where she'd landed, "You tricked me! You are such a tool, do you know that?" Cloe opened her eyes and looked around to see that the glowing had subsided. Rachael and Ryan were standing up slowly a few feet away and Sharpay was signaling them to be prepared for anything. "I should have realized that amulet was linked to you." Theresa scowled at Cloe before standing up, "It's only making you harder to defeat. That's going to make my next task more difficult."

She stood up and walked over to Cloe, who had backed into the wall. "In order to get the amulet from you…" Theresa grinned wickedly before stopping a few feet in front of her, "I have to get rid of you._ For good._" She thrust her hands in front of her as the three screamed, "No!" Theresa shot a powerful blast at Cloe.

**(A/N) Ooh, I feel so evil. Another cliffie sent your way. Well, I want reviews and I still want 200 for this entire fic, so plz even if you have to go back and review for old chappies, just plz do so and I won't finish this fic until I get my 200 complete. So, technically now it would be still around 7 per chappie I've posted. K? That's definitely fair, so review away! Thx for everyone who has reviewed for every single chappie. And thx so much Char for being there for me. Means so much! Luv ya! What do you think will happen next? Will Cloe make it? Find out in the next chappie! L8rs!**


	34. Captured

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything here that you recognize from the movie. Anything not recognized in the movie is actually mine. So, yeah…I own things not from the movie. Like the really cool villain. You hafta admit Theresa is amazing, right? Right. Now keep reading to see what she's up to this time.

**Chapter 34: Captured**

The blast hit Cloe with such force that Rachael, Ryan, and Sharpay were knocked into the opposite wall. The white light produced blinded the three so they couldn't see Cloe or Theresa. Fear flooded through their bodies leaving them speechless and partially disbelieving. Immediately, Sharpay started shaking as grief and guilt flooded through her body overpowering every other sense she had. Big wet tears poured down her cheeks and onto her fur-trimmed crop-top as she pulled at her hair in frustration realizing it was her fault.

Ryan's mind was filled with disbelief as he stared at the scene in front of him. It had to be a trick or some kind of misunderstanding. Cloe couldn't be gone. He would have felt it if she was really gone…wouldn't he? His heart ached with the pain of what might happen, while Rachael clung to his arm and sobbed into his shirt. The next thing they heard was Theresa's maniacal laughter and they looked up to see the white light was fading and Cloe's figure was slowly coming into view.

For a moment, they felt a small flicker of hope, but as everything became clear all forms of hope were shattered. Cloe's body lay motionless at Theresa's feet. "Finally!" Theresa cackled, "I have the lamp and I will soon have the amulet." "You evil little _witch_!" Ryan exclaimed in anger. "My dear boy, flattery won't help you here." Theresa responded smugly, "You see…the moment I have both of these powerful tools, I will be even more capable of draining our powers. Of course, Zac was responsible for your grandfather's fateful death."

"_Zac?_" Rachael asked with disbelief. "Yes. He was the genie I used to drain the king's powers." Theresa responded dryly, "And now I will be able to use him on you." She examined the lamp closely before she turned back to the three questioningly. "Is this the real lamp?" she asked them suspiciously, "Because you haven't bothered to come after it yet. I mean, the genie won't come out." The others stared at her thoughtfully with concerned expressions. "It's probably because Rachael rubbed the lamp." Theresa stated, "So…rub it." She held it out to the brunette.

"I'm a klutz…I'd probably kill it." Rachael snapped back. "How do you _kill_ a lamp?" Theresa questioned in confusion. "I don't know, I'd probably break it, drop it, or kill it." Rachael answered. "So, you're a klutz." Theresa stated, "And Sharpay is emotionally unstable." "I am _not_ emotionally unstable. Mow, I'm going to rip your eyes out!" Sharpay squealed angrily then realized, "Cloe's dead." She started to sob again. "That means Ryan is…scrawny." Theresa said realizing that was the only real feature he possessed. "Again with everyone pointing out my weight." Ryan stated angrily, "You're making me feel self-conscious!" "Whatever. I could care less about_ your_ problems." Theresa told him, "I have a task I need to attend to."

With that, she bent down over Cloe's body and touched the amulet, which glowed brightly. "She's still…_alive_?" Theresa muttered in surprise as she pressed a finger to the brunette's forehead, "But how "Don't touch her!" Ryan yelled at the evil blond, who ignored him, and was about to launch himself at her, but Rachael tightened her grip on his arm. After a moment of stunned silence in which Sharpay had stopped crying, Theresa pulled away from the unconscious body.

"I knew it." She growled angrily as she stood up straight, "She's attached to someone, which means I can't get rid of her until I get rid of that someone or if that someone lets her go." Theresa turned to Ryan, who stared back defiantly. "I have a feeling _you_ know who it is." She stated, "Any one of you could know." She sent a shock through Sharpay's body, but she didn't say anything. Theresa sent an identical shock through Rachael's body, but she also remained quiet.

"That leaves _you_." Theresa growled at Ryan and sent an even stronger blast of pure magic through his body. Ryan screamed in pain as Theresa continued to increase the amount of power. "Stop it!" Sharpay screamed worriedly, "Stop hurting my brother!" "Not until I get what I want!" Theresa shot back, still sending agonizing pain into Ryan's body. "That's _it_!" Rachael screamed and stood up as she blast Theresa across the room, stopping the wave of magic and Ryan's agonizing screams, "I've had _enough_ of you! You've hurt my friend, my family, and now _I'm_ going to hurt _you_!" "Is that so?" Theresa screamed from where she'd landed.

"Yeah!" Sharpay answered also standing, "Because _I'm_ going to back her up. No one and I mean _no one_ hurts_ my _brother but _me_!" "Well then…prepare to meet your match." Theresa stated with an amused smile as she floated above them a few feet away, "You're only worth the warm up." She transported Cloe's body to a _safer_ place before putting the lamp in her pocket. "We're ready when you are." Rachael stated as Ryan slowly got to his feet.

"You're being so fair." Theresa cooed, "Typical heroes…such petty fools." "I'm warning you!" Sharpay screamed, "Don't _make_ me angry!" "I'm _so_ scared." Theresa stated sarcastically as she rolled her eyes, "I'm facing a klutz, an emotionally unstable drama queen, and a scrawny wimp who still haven't gained their full power." The three glared at her and tried to work out in their minds how they would get their powers to work right then. Ryan raised his hand and prayed his plan would work. Theresa started to laugh. "What are you going to do? She teased, "_Mime_ me to death?"

With that, Ryan shot a force out of his palm that knocked Theresa back into the wall again. She stopped laughing immediately and glared at him. "So, you want to play hardball, do you?" she stated as she made a large glowing ball appear in her hands, "I'll give you hardball!" She threw the ball at them and the two girls stepped in front of Ryan with their hands in front of them like wall. The glowing ball reflected off the shield which had formed around them. After a constant back and forth battle of non-damaging blasts of magic, the shield hadn't even glitched.

"It's like a defense mechanism." Theresa gaped at what had happened, "It's your grandfather's magic. I _can't_ hurt you and that means you can't really hurt me using the family magic." The two girls didn't dare drop the shield just in case Theresa decided to strike again. "That's why the lame spell I cast on you twins didn't go the way I'd planned." Theresa mumbled. "_What?_" Ryan and Rachael stated in shock. Sharpay just frowned at them knowingly.

"I cast a spell on Sharpay when she and Ryan were born, which made her depressed and suicidal." Theresa explained as if by routine, "Unfortunately, your family magic I was using protected her from actually killing herself. So, Ryan was cursed with obedience to his twin and had the responsibility of protecting her." "That would explain a lot." Rachael muttered to herself. "And now the only one who can destroy me is Cloe!" Theresa screamed in realization, "In order to destroy her, I have to get rid of Ryan, which I _can't do_ because of the whole magic thing."

She sighed in frustration before continuing, "This just makes my job more difficult. Instead, I'll have to get him to let her go." "That will _never_ happen." Ryan told her defiantly. There was no way he'd ever let anyone hurt Cloe. "We'll just have to see then, won't we?" Theresa stated softly in a threatening tone. With that, she forced their shield down, transported the girls out of the hallway, and then looked to Ryan. "Now for you." She stated and stared him in the eyes.

**(A/N) Hey all! There's my 34****th**** chappie. Does that work for everyone? I've heard from reviewers that my last explanation of what happened to Sharpay when she was little didn't explain everything. In truth, it wasn't supposed to. Just BTW, I'm listening to Gitchy Gitchy Goo from Phineas and Ferb on Radio Disney! It's amazing! Okay, back to reality here. Mrs. Evans couldn't exactly know what the spell was supposed to do just the outcome of what happened. This explained what Theresa was trying to do and why it happened the way it did. So, basically…you find out both sides of the story. See? Isn't it a good thing to wait patiently? I actually finished writing the whole fic a LONG time ago like WAY before I posted chapter 30. So yeah…R&R for me! Pwease? Note the adorable W's. I stole that line from my friend TrippingAngel390623. So, what do you think will happen next? Thx loads to all my reviewers and anyone who's reading this! Luv you guys for giving me feedback and actually taking time to get this far and read on. Remember 200 reviews total or I won't ever post the ending of the fic until I do. Many more surprises to come! YAY! Around 6 reviews per every chappie so far are needed! So review away!**


	35. Recaps and More Problems

**Disclaimer:** I don't own…you already know what I don't own. I do own…you already know that one too. Anyone who can tell me all those things I've mentioned from all those past chappies will get a big giant virtual cake and cookie platter of all assortments! So yeah…just go check the past 34 chappies for the answer…_**s**_…plural. Answer_**s**_. Right…

**Chapter 35: Recaps and More Problems**

Sharpay and Rachael appeared in a familiar dark cell. It was exactly the same except…the bars were fixed. Sharpay moaned in frustration. "Where are we?" Rachael asked fearfully. "We're back in the cell next to our moms." Sharpay explained and then realized, "Oh my gosh, our moms!" "What about them?" Rachael asked worriedly. There was definitely something going on that she wanted to know about. "Rachael!" Sharpay stated ecstatically, "Our moms have been turned into the flying vampiric monkeys!" "What?" Rachael squeaked, "My mom can't be a monkey!" "Well, she is…_they_ are." Sharpay repeated, breathing heavily and trying to calm herself down.

There was a moan from one of the darker corners of the cell. "Cloe?" Sharpay and Rachael both asked hopefully. They took a step closer to the corner the sound had come from. "Oh…what happened?" came a weak voice. "Cloe!" the other two girls cheered as Cloe sat up and the glow emanating from the amulet lit up her face. They ran over to her sobbing as they gave her a huge hug. "Oh, Cloe." Sharpay cried, "I just don't know how to tell you this." "What?" Cloe asked as dizziness took over. "Ryan was captured." Rachael sobbed hysterically, "Theresa took him away."

Just then, Ryan's agonizing screams echoed through the hallway. "Oh, Ryan." Sharpay cried even harder, "His pain is my pain and it hurts not being able to help him." Cloe, still not grasping the whole situation, broke free of their grasp and leaned against the wall to steady herself. The amount of distress in the room was overpowering. The last thing she remembered seeing was a bright light and Ryan's concerned expression. Now, she was being told that he was in trouble? Cloe looked around to see Rachael comforting an agonized Sharpay. "It's not our fault." Rachael whispered probably as a consolation to herself as well as to Sharpay.

Cloe closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep to clear her mind a little better. She eventually woke up to hear the barred doors slide open and the pattering of heavy feet. There was a set of forced steps and a set of heavy steps that clunked every time they hit the floor. Cloe couldn't manage to open her eyes so she listening as what she thought was a dark knight pushed someone into the cell with them. The doors closed and the clunking footsteps faded away. Cloe listened to the heavy breathing of the newcomer. She finally managed to open her eyes and take in her surroundings.

It was a lot darker now than it was before she'd drifted off to sleep, which meant it was night. Cloe used the glow of the amulet as a light to examine the cell. She saw that Sharpay and Rachael were asleep in another corner of the cell. Near the cell door, a figure sat with their knees tucked up to their chin and their forehead resting on them. The figure's arms were crossed over the knees, blocking their face, but Cloe thought she recognized who it was anyway. She attempted to stand, but found that her body was too weak to hold her, so she crawled over to the figure slowly.

When she got close enough to hear the person's heartbeat, she knew who it was right away. That same heartbeat had played to her on that first night she'd spent at Rachael's house. Still, she stopped soundlessly in front of the person and smiled as she reached out and grabbed their hand. The stress, pain, and fear in the person weren't showing too well on the outside. There was no immediate reaction to her touch, but finally the person lifted up their head after a second or two.

Cloe saw it was Ryan and then gasped in surprise. Using the glowing green light of the amulet to look him over, she noticed that he had scratches, cuts, and bruises everywhere. There was a long silence in which the two stared at each other waiting for the other to speak. Cloe moved closer as she sat net to him and gently squeezed his hand in comfort. Ryan looked back at her with sad, pain-filled eyes. Cloe leaned over to him, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him softly and passionately. A tear rolled down Ryan's cheek and landed on Cloe's hand. She pulled away slowly.

"Are you…crying?" she asked him in a whisper. She hadn't expected it, even though he was the most dramatic guy in school. Ryan turned to her before nodding sadly and started to shake slightly. "Poor thing." Cloe sympathized. She kissed him again with all the passion she had bottled up and allowed Ryan to continue crying. She was him close his eyes and move his hands to her back so he could pull her closer to him. He needed her. He wanted her. He wanted her to need him too. Cloe separated from him and pulled away a little as she unbuttoned Ryan's shirt slowly so she could examine the rest of him.

When she finished, she gently slid it off his back so it was lying one the floor. Ryan winced only once and more tears filled his eyes. Cloe gasped as she noticed his upper body was covered in cuts and bruises. She ran her fingers across his chest and looked back up to his face full of longing. "You are so brave…and so sweet." She told him looking away and leaving her hand to linger on his chest, "Maybe you're too mice for me." Immediately, Ryan quickly pulled her so close to him that there was no space between them and Cloe looked back up at him in shock.

"No." he whispered desperately ignoring the pain he was in, "I _need_ you." Before Cloe could answer, Ryan's mouth was on top of hers. He kissed her hard and Cloe grabbed his arms and pushed herself away from him so she could catch her breath. "I _do_ need you." She whispered to him, looking into his eyes meaningfully, "You mean the world to me. I am so sorry that you are getting tortured this way because of me." "Listen…" Ryan told her sternly, "I would _die_ for you and I would _never_ let them hurt you."

Cloe's heart skipped a beat. He really did treasure her. "Love hurts…but this is nothing compared to the pain I experienced when I thought you were gone." Ryan told her and watched as she released her grip on his arms and placed her head on his chest. He hugged her tight as she listened to his heartbeat. She curled up into him and went to sleep. Ryan held her close to him, sat back against the soothingly cold stone wall, and closed his eyes.

Morning came and Sharpay had not enjoyed the night at all. She sat up and looked over at Rachael, who was still sleeping a few feet away. Sharpay looked over and noticed Ryan was back still asleep by the door…with Cloe wrapped in his arms. They were squished together on the floor limbs entangled. Sharpay narrowed her eyes and turned back to Rachael, who moved in her sleep. Sharpay crawled over to her and nudged her in the side. "Five more minutes…" Rachael muttered sleepily. "There's no time for that." Sharpay whispered violently giving Rachael another nudge, "We have to get up, _now_." She pushed Rachael hard enough so that she rolled into the wall and jolted awake.

"Ow, Sharpay." Rachael moaned sitting up and turning to stare at the blond girl irritably, "What was that for?" "We have work to do." Sharpay responded roughly, "And besides…Ryan's back." Rachael's face lit up excitedly. "Where?" she asked, quickly glancing around the cell. "Over there." Sharpay moped as she pointed to the two by the door, "It seems like he had it bad and seeked kind relief from Cloe." "Aw, I think it's cute." Rachael laughed thoughtfully as she watched the peaceful couple sleeping. "Cute? It's _disgusting_." Sharpay stated scrunching up her face, "Every time they do this…it's public display for crying out loud; Ryan doesn't even have his shirt on!"

Rachael looked from Sharpay to the sleeping couple and back again. "I think you're jealous." Rachael stated simply. "Then _you_ go wake them." Sharpay said to change the subject, "I…I'm going to work out a way to get us out of here." With that, she stood up, walked over to a corner, and sat down facing the wall. Rachael sighed, stood up, and walked over to the couple. She sat down in front of them and debated over what to do. She looked at Ryan and scanned his cuts and bruises. Most of them were swollen. Rachael leaned over him and kissed his cheek. Then, she whispered into his ear, "Wake up, sleepyhead."

Ryan shifted a little and Rachael pulled away. Ryan blinked before slowly opening his eyes and looking around. He looked over at Cloe who was cuddled up into him limbs entangled with his. He felt the presence of someone watching them and looked up to see Rachael smiling back at him. "Hey." She said to him softly, "Come on, wake your girlfriend. We've got work to do." "Got it." Ryan stated softly with an embarrassed smile. Rachael just winked at him and got up before walking over to Sharpay.

Ryan sighed and looked at his sleeping angel. She looked so peaceful and her body was warm against his. He put his hand under her chin and lifted her mouth up to his. He gave her a gentle good morning kiss and her eyes fluttered open. Ryan pulled back slowly. "Morning, Angel." He whispered softly to her with a gentle smile. "Mmm." Cloe hummed in response, "I like the way that tastes." "Well, then…if you're still hungry, here's a little something to keep you awake." Ryan muttered to her and kissed her again. Cloe moaned in delight. She loved the way his lips felt on hers. They were so soft and pleasurable.

When they finally broke apart, they stared at each other before Ryan sat up. He helped Cloe sit up and they stood. Ryan picked up his shirt and put it back on before the two of them walked over to the others, who were whispering violently at each other. Ryan cleared his throat loudly to announce their approach. The two girls whirled around quickly. "Miss me?" Ryan asked his sister and smiled warmly at her. Sharpay glared questioningly at Cloe for a moment before returning her attention back to Ryan. "Of course I did." She reassured him with a small smile and held him in a tight embrace, "I thought I'd lost you."

"Hey, don't hog all the hugs." Rachael stated, happy to see the blond boy, "I missed him too." She joined in and hugged Ryan tightly. "I missed you too." Ryan told them squinting to keep his eyes from watering because of the pain, "But if you keep squeezing me, you'll break my spine." "Sorry, Ry." Sharpay apologized before giving him one last squeeze and letting go. Rachael released her grip and backed up. "I didn't tell you to stop." Ryan said to them, "I just asked you not to break me." The two jumped forward and gave him one last quick hug each before backing up again.

"I just didn't want to hurt you anymore." Sharpay explained and grinned, "I mean, being the fact that you're so fragile…you might snap." "It's great to be back." Ryan laughed softly to himself, "You're still the same Sharpay I've always known and loved." "I try." She smirked back at him, 'How are your cuts?" She eyed them nervously. "Better. They aren't bleeding anymore." Ryan answered reluctantly, "It hurts on occasion, but otherwise they're fine." "Oh, you poor thing." Rachael cooed in concern, "How badly did Theresa hurt you?" "Enough that I thought my bones would snap." Ryan stated nervously not wanting them to worry too much.

"That doesn't take much, you know." Sharpay teased to lighten the mood before getting serious again, "Did she get someone else to beat you up?" "Yes." Ryan sighed uncomfortably, "One of the dark knights." Sharpay gasped and her eyes started to water. "That's terrible!" Rachael squeaked hoarsely. Ryan just nodded sadly in response. He still didn't want to worry them too much. Then, Sharpay started to cry. "What's wrong, Shar?" Ryan asked her in concern. That was one of the downs of hanging out with only girls. They cried a lot. He didn't want their pity, but he wanted them to understand him.

The good thing was that they _were always_ understanding. They showed sympathy, were supportive, and weren't shy to admit how they felt. Ryan kind of felt like he could relate more to girls than to other guys. Maybe that's why the rest of the school thought poorly of him. But he couldn't worry about that because, right now, he had to solve one big problem; how to get out of Magicath alive…and get rid of Theresa in the process. Sharpay continued to cry and shake with tears. Ryan sighed painfully and put a hand on his sister's shoulder comfortingly.

"It's only me, Shar." He stated softly, "It's fine. Really. Don't worry about me, okay? It doesn't matter." "Doesn't matter?" Sharpay screamed, "You're getting beaten and it _doesn't matter_?" Her fists were clenched at her sides and Ryan pulled his hand away in sudden fear. "Shar…I –" he stuttered before he was cut off again. "You think that just because Cloe's your girlfriend you can get away with _her_ begin the cause of what's happening to you." Sharpay barked angrily as she glared menacingly in Cloe's direction for emphasis, "Well, let me tell you something, Ryan. You can't! I always knew you would get hurt like this. The first time I saw Cloe, I knew she was trouble, but I gave her a chance for _you_. I gave her way too many chances! And now you're the only thing keeping her alive."

She had returned her attention back to her brother. "I can handle it." Ryan interrupted sternly, "Plus, Theresa _can't_ kill me." "With _magic_." Sharpay reminded him as a wave of emotions washed over her, "What happens when she decides to get rid of you another way? What happens when she realizes that there _are_ non-magical ways to get what she wants?" Rachael, who had been watching the entire argument, backed away from the twins. Sharpay had begun to sob again and her voice started to plead. "What will happen when she…she…she kills you?" she whispered begging her brother to see what she feared for, "Please, Ryan, tell me you understand. If _anything_ were to happen to you, it would _tear me apart_. Please understand that." Her eyes were hurt, pleading, and wet.

Ryan sighed and a familiar pain ached in his chest. This was too much for him to take, but he nodded in response, still not daring to speak in fear of shattering the moment. "And if you're going to risk all that for Cloe then you just may be the most stupid person still alive." Sharpay was yelling again, "I love you because you are my brother and I respect that you care enough about someone that you'll die for them, but is she more important than the family?"

The room went silent in shock. Ryan couldn't answer. Sharpay stared at him with mixed emotions. "If something were to happen to you, it would kill me." Her voice was no more than a hoarse whisper, "Does Cloe mean more to you than mom…dad…_me_?" Ryan thought about that for a moment. "She'll _kill_ you, Ryan." Sharpay pleaded, 'If you don't choose now…I'll…I'll be forced to take action myself. Something you'll regret." "I've made up my mind, Shar." Ryan sighed, "I'm not changing it."

"Fine." Sharpay snapped back loudly, "Then, I've made up my mind, too. I can't take it anymore. You've never risked everything you had for anyone until _she_ came along. If you're willing to hurt yourself to hurt us in the end, then I'll give you something to regret. If you're willing to die, well, I'll help you with that one." Her fists clenched at her sides.

"Very good." Theresa's disembodied voice boomed throughout the cell, "I've been waiting for this moment." Rachael and Ryan looked around to see where the voice was coming from. "Yeah, I've made my choice and I'm all yours." Sharpay called. "Perfect." Theresa's voice mused. "No!" Ryan exclaimed as Sharpay was transported out of the cell leaving them speechless.

**(A/N) Well, this is the next chappie. Number 35. Did everything make more sense now? I hope it does. Let me know if it's still confuddling to anyone. I want everyone who's reading this to take the 2 seconds just to leave me a review even if it's just to tell me to update soon. Okay? Can everyone here do that? Cuz so far, I only know that maybe 5 different people are reading this. And even if all five of you were to review for every single chappie there'd be about (thinks for a minute to do the math) 175 reviews already left for me to read. So, will all of you plz go back and leave reviews for me in all the chappies you missed. I know Char left me loads of reviews so thx for that! Means loads to me! Hugs. Okay, so will the rest of you plz R&R and I'll finish this fic even quicker. So pretty much I'd need at least 6 reviews for each chappie posted so far to make a total of around 200 that I'm asking for. =D Thx everyone who reviewed and who are still reading this. Luv yas!**


	36. Daniel Radcliffe

**Disclaimer:** Hey there. So far, you already know what I do and do not own. So, let's just skip to the important parts. The Zac Efron in this fic isn't the real one, he's only a characterization. So, I technically own him…just not the name. And that goes for every character you see in here whose name is that of an actor or actress. So, in short, they're all characterizations with the names of the real person (not to be confused with the real person) and they look like the real person (again…not real person). K? Glad we've reached an understanding. If it confuses…skip down to the author's note at the end and read it there again. Reading on…

**Chapter 36: Daniel Radcliffe**

"I can't believe it happened again!" Ryan screamed in utter frustration. It had been twice now that he had let his sister come close to any danger involving Theresa. But, if he'd allowed himself to give up on Cloe, she would have been in Sharpay's place now. Either way he'd lost. It was all just a really bad set up. Why did it have to be so complicated to choose what to do? "Oh, Ryan." Rachael whispered hoarsely in fear. Ryan glanced over at her horror-struck face and was suddenly confused as to why she was terrified.

It took him a long moment to realize she was scared of _him_. His hands were balled up into fists and he realized there were blue sparks emanating from his fingertips as he unclenched his grip. He could only imagine what his face looked like at the moment. He tried to calm himself as he looked around the nearly empty cell. "Where's Cloe?" he asked steadily in between shaky breaths. He looked down at his hands and sighed in relief that the sparks had died down a bit.

"Here." Cloe muttered from a far corner of the cell. She had walked of to meditate before the fight. "Cloe…I'm so sorry for everything my –" Ryan began before cutting himself off. "Shh." Cloe breathed enjoying the silence, "Give me a minute." Ryan sighed in frustration and anger. Sharpay may have before, but she'd never once gone to the absolute extremes. After all they'd been through, he'd never expected it to happen like this. Sharpay should have understood. If only there was a way out of this; a way to solve the problem; a way to contact someone who could help. Then, he remembered the terrified girl standing in the room. "Rachael –" he began but didn't have time to finish.

Just then, there was a flash of light and the familiar stench of smoof. Ryan had to look away for a moment until the smoof cleared and the all too familiar white light faded. Ryan looked over again to see a familiar woman holding a lamp. "Thanks, Daniel." She called to the genie who had retreated into his lamp. "Mom!" Cloe screamed in excitement as she ran to the woman, "You got my message. How did you get here so fast?" The two embraced for a second before sighing in relief and letting go.

"I got the message a while in advance." Cloe's mom explained before looking over and noticing Ryan and Rachael, "Hey, kids. Ryan, you don't look so well and Rachael, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong? Wait." She put a hand to her temple and sighed deeply. "I was afraid this would happen, but it was going to happen either way." She answered her own question. No doubt she was seeing what was about to happen and all that had happened. "I have a question." Ryan stated curiously, "Where did you get that lamp?"

To his surprise, the woman laughed. "Oh, dear. Your mother isn't the only one who can pick up a family lamp in Arabia." She smiled warmly at him, "Daniel is just a bit older than Zac." "Wait…" Rachael finally stated, snapping out of her fear, "When you say Daniel, do you mean…Daniel Radcliffe?" "Yes, dear." Cloe's mom chuckled softly, "I suppose we should get out of her to catch up with Sharpay. After all, the prophecy states –" "Screw the prophecy." Ryan mumbled, "I just want everything to go back to making sense and actually meaning something." "Don't worry, Ryan." Cloe's mom comforted as she shook her head in sympathy for him, "We have a plan."

Somewhere deep in the castle…

Sharpay appeared in the center of a huge room. The ceiling was made entirely of glass and there were mirrors on most of the walls. She looked up at the purple-clouded sky and prayed her plan would work. She took a deep breath to gather up her strength. "I'm ready." She called into the empty room, knowing Theresa would hear, "I want to do this." "Good girl." Theresa stated, appearing a few feet in front of Sharpay, who gritted her teeth. Theresa had the lamp in her arms. She had Zac; their only real escape. "Are you sure you want to give up your life with your family and friends to serve me?" she asked Sharpay. "If it means I can get what I want." Sharpay responded, removing her gaze from the lamp and forcing it to land on Theresa's face: her small, well-rounded, cat-like face.

A shiver rolled down Sharpay's spine. Theresa just grinned at her in response. "Are you that desperate that you'll risk your sanity to do what I ask?" she questioned thoughtfully. "What sanity?" Sharpay winced at the thought, but she had a plan and was extremely determined to carry through with it, so she nodded. "Just to be sure, I'll test you." Theresa said, studying the other girl's emotionless expression, "I'll want to be sure that I can trust you." "What do I have to do?" Sharpay asked quickly, sensing it was almost time. "That's a hard one. I'll have to think about it." Theresa thought to herself.

Just then, Rachael and Ryan burst into the room with Cloe following closely. "That's enough!" Ryan shouted. "Decision made." Theresa stated to Sharpay, "Capture them." Immediately, Sharpay's hands flew out and a cage was formed around the trio. Sharpay's face was emotionless as she stared back at Theresa. "I'm impressed." She mused, "I do have to say, I was wrong to think you were stupid and I apologize." Theresa paused to think over her possibilities. "Now, I can drain their powers and use them for myself. I'll be able to use the lamp, but only if I have Cloe's amulet." She continued before turning to Sharpay excitedly, "Do you think you could take it off her? I can't promise you there will be no pain for either of you, but it will be worth it. I can tell."

"I don't need much persuading." Sharpay answered as she looked into the eyes of the three in the cage, "As long as I get what I want, I'll do it." With that, she took a few steps closer to the cage before she was hit in the head with something hard. Ryan had stuck his hand through the bars of the cage and punched her in the side of the head. Immediately, Sharpay grabbed his hand and bit it, watching as he stared in shock. "What was that?" Rachael exclaimed as Ryan managed to pull his hand back to cradle it in his other hand. "Why?" Ryan questioned angrily.

"It's better off this way." Sharpay reminded him as she rubbed her temples, "Besides, you made your decisions and I made mine." "Stupid prophecy." Ryan muttered to himself. "Enough small talk." Theresa demanded, "We don't need what isn't necessary. Just do your job." "Gladly." Sharpay stated with an evil grin, "Now, where were we?" She continued to walk around the cage to where Cloe was and stuck her hands through the bars, reaching for the amulet. Ryan tried to stand in the way, but Rachael held him back.

"Stop!" a female's voice called. Everyone turned to look in the direction of the other door in the room. Standing there was a familiar woman with a lamp. "Hi, mom." Cloe greeted her casually, "You're right on time." "What are _you_ doing here?" Theresa asked the woman, "I thought I left you behind with the others, Myrna." "You did, but I came back." Myrna explained, "I just couldn't resist helping you to take back what's rightfully yours." "Oh? And how would you propose to do that?" Theresa questioned with interest, "Tell me how I cam gain my rightful power."

By now, Sharpay had removed her arms from the cage and taken a step sideways, farther away from Ryan's side of the cage. She was prepared for what was about to happen next and she really hoped there wouldn't e too much trouble. "That's an easy question. I'm surprised you couldn't think of the answer yourself." Myrna responded slyly, "You have to use a lamp." "I can't use a lamp until I get that amulet off your daughter." Theresa growled at that reminder, "And, believe me, I'd have to go through too much to get it to work out the way I want."

Myrna sighed deeply, her soft smile still plastered to her face. "Actually, I was talking about using a more _powerful_ lamp." She continued to explain, "Like the one I have here." She gestured to the lamp in her hand. Theresa's eyes lightened up as she watched the lamp. "That's perfect." She mouthed in awe that her goal was so close to being accomplished. "Give me the lamp you have in your hand and I'll give you my more powerful lamp for you to finish off the job with." Myrna wagered, "I can guarantee success."

Theresa looked from the woman to Cloe, back to the woman again. She stood there, pondering her decision. Myrna had been a powerful ally way back then, when the kind was still in power. Surely, she could be trusted to do the job herself. "What about your daughter?" Theresa questioned her, "Surely, you wouldn't want me to hurt her…or her friends." "I can handle my own daughter just fine, thank you." Myrna replied in a stern tone. Theresa grimaced, not sure she wanted to get on Myrna's bad side. Last time that had happened, Myrna was the one who walked away victorious.

"How about you do the honors of finishing them off?" Theresa forced herself to say, "Since it's your lamp." "No, I think I'd rather not." Myrna answered with a sigh, "Wouldn't you like to claim all the glory of getting rid of them? It's an offer you shouldn't decline." Theresa stiffened just ever so slightly. "Well, that's very thoughtful." She said, "I appreciate it." Myrna nodded. "My lamp for yours." She demanded, "That's my offer and it still stands strong."

Theresa thought about it for a second. Why not accept now? She could always get the other lamp back later using the more powerful one. That was her answer. "I accept your generous offer." Theresa finalized the situation, "Step forward and we'll make the switch." "_Gladly._" Myrna responded happily as the two took a few steps closer to each other. That was Sharpay's queue and she really hoped it would work. Sharpay let down the cage, fully prepared for what she had coming.

**(A/N) Cliffie Alert! Okay, so all I need now is at least 6 reviews per posted chappie and I'll have my 200 I want from everyone. I feel the need to do simple math today in practice for all my math tests and stuffs. So yeah…thx for reviewing so far. So yeah. Uh…back to the main point of discussion. About what I said in my disclaimer about the characters in this fic who are my genies (aka Zac Efron and Daniel Radcliffe) are only characterizations of the actors. K? They aren't the real people, but they have the same name and look exactly like them. But they're only **_**characterizations**_**.**

**Key word here: characterizations.**

**Like the characters Rachael and Theresa are characterizations of two of my best friends, yet they aren't the same people I see practically every single day. Get it now? I hope so cuz I'd hate to get reported for faulty information. If you need more explaining (which I don't think you will cuz everyone's smart enough to get what I've been trying to say) then just ask in a **_**review**_** or you can PM me and I'll be glad to help. YAY! Chocolate cakes for everyone who reviews! If you don't like chocolate, then let me know and I can improvise. YAY AGAIN! Okay then. Looks around in confusion. L8rs!**


	37. Defeat

**Disclaimer:** You know all this stuff already so I'll just let you continue reading and enjoy what I've written. YAY for the disclaimer! Shrugs.

**Chapter 37: Defeat**

The moment the cage disappeared fully, Ryan jumped at Sharpay, who screamed. Everyone stopped and turned just in time to witness Ryan grab Sharpay by the throat and twist her arms behind her back. Sharpay started choking out desperate pleas for her brother to let go, but Ryan ignored her. "Why are you doing this, Shar?" Ryan asked in a harsh tone, "Why do you _insist_ on making me this mad at you?" At this point, Theresa and Myrna stood only feet from each other.

"Ryan, stop!" Cloe stated, "You're not helping anyone by choking your sister." "But she's trying to doom us all!" Ryan retorted, "Do you _want_ her to be turned over to Theresa's side?" Cloe just stared at him with a face that said he was way off. Ryan stared back and forth from Cloe to Sharpay. He sighed as he grudgingly released his grip and shoved Sharpay over to where Rachael stood. Ryan crossed his arms and scowled at the gasping blond. Just then, they all remembered about the lamps.

Theresa and Myrna were standing face to face. Well, they would have been if Theresa had been only a few feet taller. "All right, I'll give you a few seconds to hand over the lamp and we'll make the switch." Myrna explained in attempt to make it easy for them. "What do you take me for? You hand over yours first." Theresa stated, developing a plan of her own. "Same time." Myrna corrected, "Or you settle with the weaker lamp." "Fine." Theresa caved, "Same time."

The two reached the lamps out in front of them. As the two got closer to the lamps, Sharpay got a strange feeling that she should prepare herself to catch something. She looked back at Cloe, who smiled at her and nodded once. The two of them really hoped this would work. All of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, the lamp was gone from Myrna's hand and Theresa was holding the two of them. "Catch." Theresa stated, tossing Zac's lamp over to Sharpay who caught it readily. "Zac!" Rachael squeaked in relief and panic all at once, "Give him to me, Sharpay."

"I don't go back on my word and I don't remember saying I'd play nice with you." Sharpay retorted speaking to Rachael, but her eyes were on Cloe the entire time, "So, don't expect me to listen to you, Squeaky." Rachael pursed her lips as Ryan walked over to stand protectively in between his sister and his girlfriend. "Hmm. Very clever, Theresa. It looks like you've still got it in you after all this time." Myrna stated calmly, "And it's obvious my putting you behind bars hasn't changed you very much." "Well, whatever the case, I'll finally be able to use this lamp to gain all the power of the universe." Theresa cackled, "Now, face your doom!"

With that, she started to rub the lamp. Everyone watched as nothing happened. Theresa tried again, rubbing harder, but still nothing happened. "Is this a trick?" she asked, getting frustrated, "It's _your_ family lamp, isn't it?" "Yes, actually, it is." Myrna responded, "As you might know, the only way you can make a genie come out of its lamp is to possess the family magic or the special _gift_ of handling genies. Neither of which, you possess for this particular lamp." She gave a little chuckle.

Theresa, extremely frustrated, threw the lamp at the wall, denting one of the sides. The lamp bounced off the wall and hit Theresa in the head both knocking her to the floor and denting the other side of the lamp forcing Daniel to come out. He was pushed from his lamp with a fiery explosion. He looked too big and too powerful to be any normal genie. "Who broke my lamp?" Daniel demanded. Immediately, everyone pointed at Theresa who was still on the floor rubbing her aching forehead.

Daniel narrowed his eyes as he glared down at her. "What should I do to harness my complete revenge?" he thought out loud as Theresa glared back at him. Suddenly, a monkey flew into the room and floated in front of Daniel's face, carrying a small silver object. "I know, sir." The monkey stated in a high pitched squeak, "Trap her in this." The monkey handed over the object and Daniel took it. "A tea strainer." He mused to himself, "I haven't seen one of these in the past millennia or so. Do they still make those?" "Yes, sir." The monkey answered squeakily, "But they also make the tea leaves in special bags, too." "I like the way you think." Daniel told the monkey who nodded and fluttered off as Daniel turned to Theresa, "And for the record, _tiny_, I hate midgets!"

With that, he opened up the tea strainer and unleashed a powerful blast of magic which blinded the room from everything but Theresa's petrified screams which echoed off the walls. When everything went quiet and everyone could see, the only thing left was the tea strainer and a very annoyed genie, who was staring at his dented lamp. Rachael grabbed Zac's lamp triumphantly from Sharpay's arms. "Yes!" Cloe and Sharpay cheered, pushing past a very confused Ryan to hug each other excitedly, "It worked!" "Yes, girls, the plan worked perfectly." Myrna responded with a smile as she walked over to the irritated genie, "No, Daniel, about your lamp…"

"What plan?" Ryan demanded, "I was never told about any plan except for the one where we all came in here and get trapped while Cloe's mom distracted Theresa with a lamp she couldn't use." "I'm so sorry, Ry. I didn't hurt you did I?" Sharpay remembered as she reached for the hand she bit, "I didn't mean to bite you so hard. You're not in pain are you? I'm sorry I didn't mean all those horrible things." "Wait, so you and Cloe were in on a new plan this whole time?" Rachael asked the blond girl, who was examining Ryan's hand for any damage, "When did you have time to come up with it?"

"Well, I talked to Sharpay about it through telepathy. You know, it's a thing I learned to do with my abilities." Cloe explained, "While Sharpay was yelling, I contacted my mom. The fight, Sharpay's anger, it was all staged. The only exception was that you and Ryan weren't in on it. Sorry, Ryan, but I had to otherwise it would have seemed too obvious." "That's fine, Cloe, but I thought Shar hated you." Ryan answered and Sharpay looked up at him. "I don't hate her, Ryan." She stated, carefully dropping her brother's hand unable to find any injuries, "If I truly hated her, do you think I would have had Rachael help me set you guys up together?"

Rachael gripped Zac's lamp even tighter, pulling it into what looked like a hug. "I guess not. And I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have tried to hurt you." Ryan said as he stared at Rachael and the lamp, remembering there was something he wanted to do. Sharpay, as if to read his thoughts, grabbed Cloe and Ryan by the hand. Cloe smiled knowingly as Ryan looked at his twin sister in slight shock. Sharpay pulled the two closer to each other and connected their hands, carefully cupping her hands around theirs. "You two might want to be alone and celebrate." Sharpay stated, taking notice of Ryan's grateful smile, "You two better take care of each other because I'm going to need someone responsible to take care of me."

She kissed her brother's hand and released her grip as she turned around and walked off towards Daniel and Myrna with Rachael following closely. When Rachael reached Sharpay's side she told her, "I'm proud of you." "I know." Sharpay answered, "And thanks." Rachael smiled at her as they walked up to the genie and Myrna. "So, um, Daniel…sorry about your lamp." Rachael mumbled, "Are you all right?" Daniel turned to her and shrugged. "I'll manage…as long as I get this stupid lamp to _undent_." He explained, trying to disguise his irritation with some decency for a genie of his stature, "Thank you for asking, my queen." "Oh, we're not in control of Magicath, yet." Rachael answered with a small blush.

"So, how old are you really?" Sharpay questioned, "Unless it's rude to ask such a question, but you look around the age a teenager." Daniel chuckled. "I've been getting just for many a millennia." He stated, "I'm over ten millennia actually, whereas Zac – I presume that's who you're holding, miss – is about two decades, am I right? He's rather low on the scale of genies. One of the lowest forms actually. Whereas, I am one of the more powerful ones, which Zac will become when he reaches my age. Not to brag, of course." "Wow, talk about old." Sharpay muttered to Rachael who sighed.

"Daniel, you seem to know quite a lot about Zac." Rachael began curiously, "Well, Theresa said she used Zac to drain the king's power. Is that true?" Rachael silently hoped it wasn't. "Unfortunately, he was used." Daniel answered with a deep sigh, "But it wasn't his fault. You see, he was an immature genie, still very young, and he wasn't required to come out of his lamp so it wasn't that hard to harness his powers and se them against his family line." "So, he didn't do it on purpose?" Rachael hoped. "Of course not. If he did, he would have betrayed his family line and been executed for it." Daniel answered with a grin as he watched Rachael gasp and tighten her grip on the lamp.

Sharpay looked down at the dented lamp and picked it up. "Again, we're sorry, but I'm pretty sure we can get this fixed." She told him, "By the way, where did you acquire a family genie, Myrna?" "Well, there are some mages out there, who possess that special _gift_ we were talking about." Myrna started to explain, "And that gift allows the owner to handle genies and other artifacts and to be able to trace them back to wherever they came from." "So, you went to some mage to find a family genie?" Sharpay questioned, hoping she understood it right.

"You see, this mage believes that every magical family has a family genie. Some may be lost along the way, but the right person can track it down." Myrna explained carefully, "And Daniel happened to be something the mage found by chance until I came along and picked him up." "So, Daniel, how did the mage get you back in your lamp after realizing you were a powerful family genie?" Rachael questioned curiously.

_Daniel's Flashback:_

_A mage walked into his shop holding his new possession of the day – another lamp. He knew he had the rare ability to control genies so he was rather excited to fully examine his prize. Wondering what this one did, he rubbed the lamp as he had done with the previous many others. Out popped a young looking genie, who stared at him in shocked surprise._

"_You're not of my family line." The genie proclaimed, trying to sort out a possible solution, "Who are you?" The genie took in his surroundings as the mage smiled triumphantly. There were strange gadgets everywhere – hanging from the ceiling, sitting on shelves, tacked to walls. "Ah, I can see you are very powerful, perhaps not as young as you seem, very smart, and are yet another lost genie of a family with _tremendous_ potential." The mage observed, ignoring the genie's question, "And you seem very curious, am I right?"_

_The genie looked away from the pictures of strange boxes on wheels. "Then maybe you'll answer my question." He asked the man in confusion, "Who are you?" The man laughed at that comment. "You're smart enough to figure it out." He explained, motioning to a strange object, "I bet you've never seen a light bulb before. Now…would you be so kind as to go back into your lamp?" The genie just stared at him dumbfounded._

"_No." He stated almost arrogantly, "Why should I?" "I can give you five good reasons why you should get in there on your own." The mage challenged him, stretching the fingers on his free hand. "I won't do it." The genie retorted sourly. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to go back in." the mage responded with a sigh and a huge grin, "One way or another." The genie shook his head stubbornly._

"_No." He repeated smugly, "You can't make me." "I beg to differ." The mage answered with a smile as he grabbed the genie and started shoving him back inside his lamp, "You'll go back in and you'll like it." "How are you doing this?" The genie questioned in shock as he struggled to stay out of his lamp but the mage succeeded and the genie was returned to the confines of his home._

"_It's what I do." The mage stated as he proudly stuck a cork into the tip of the lamp. "You know that isn't necessary." The genie commented grumpily from the darkness, "I can't get out now that I'm in here." "I know, but you put up quite a struggle compared to other genies I've dealt with." The mage informed him with a small laugh, "Plus, the cork's my signature." Right then, it clicked. "Oh, you're one of _those_ people, aren't you?" The genie stated, suddenly understanding._

"_Indeed, I am." The mage replied, "You'll be there for a while, but you might want to think about redecorating when you finally get out." "Can you at least let me have some light inside this thing?" The genie called, "It's a bit dark in here." The mage laughed as he set the lamp on one of his shelves. "You'll get used to it. Just sleep it off." He smiled as he looked over his other collectables, "And when you redecorate, you might want to put in a lava lamp or two. And maybe a disco ball."_

_End of Daniel's Flashback_

"I'd rather not talk about it." Daniel responded with a slight shiver as Myrna pulled a cork out of her pocket and watched his eyes widen in horror. The girls understood immediately and laughed amongst themselves.

Meanwhile…

"So we're finally safe." Ryan stated as he pulled Cloe into a tight embrace. "Yeah." Cloe sighed as she leaned her head against his chest. It felt so right when they were together like this, but something was still missing. "Ryan." Cloe stated and Ryan looked down at her, "What's going to happen now? With us and with everyone else, I mean. What will we do now?" "I don't know. I guess we go back home and try to get back to where we started from." Ryan answered as Cloe looked up at him, "Tell me something. A few nights ago, you told me you saw my grandfather trapped here in Magicath. Where is he?"

"I'm sorry, but I only felt his essence was here. I don't think it was actually him." Cloe explained, "But I know one thing. He's very proud and his spirit can finally rest." "I'm so proud of you, Angel." Ryan sighed using Cloe's nickname, "I still can't believe that you and Sharpay came up with this plan…and got your _mom_ in on it. It kind of makes me feel sorry that I tried to hurt my sister. Thanks for stopping me." "I'm amazing." Cloe responded with a smile. "Yes, you are." Ryan told her and kissed her softly on the lips.

When they separated, Ryan pulled Cloe even closer to him. "If anything had happened to you…or if I'd let myself hurt you or even Sharpay, I…I –" he began before Cloe kissed him again. "Listen," she told him when she separated, "you were only doing what you thought was best for everyone, but now that Theresa is trapped, we have all the time in the world to do whatever we want." The couple smiled at each other until the others approached them so they separated from their embrace.

Myrna was carrying Daniel's dented lamp and the tea strainer, Daniel was following her with a scowl, and Sharpay and Rachael were giggling. "You'll never believe this." Rachael laughed. "Yeah, apparently, Daniel was corked up inside his lamp for three millennia." Sharpay explained with a giggle. "And those were the worst three out of 18 millennia of my life." Daniel groaned. "Which would explain his grouchy attitude." Sharpay teased. "Hey, you try spending three millennia of hibernation in a lamp." Daniel retorted. "Point taken." Rachael continued to giggle as she held Zac's lamp closer to her.

"Oh, you've fallen for _him_." Daniel realized as she watched Rachael, who smiled, "Man, he's good. He's way too good." "Oh, believe me." Sharpay muttered to him, recalling that day in her room they'd been blessed, "I know." "Yes, Zac is mine and I'm not letting him out of my sight ever again." Rachael confirmed, "It was way too painful. That also reminds me that I need to tell my mom or she'll…oh my gosh! I completely forgot about my mom." "Oh, right." Ryan remembered, "We need to find them." "And we need to turn them human again." Cloe stated, "They're still monkeys." "I think they're still back in the cell next to the one we were in." Sharpay reminded them, "Let's go."

The group started to run out of the room before Myrna called them back, so they stopped and turned to face her. "It's all right." Myrna told them, "Daniel and I will find them, take care of finding a place for Theresa, and deal with getting Corinne and Delilah back to normal." "But won't you need our help?" Cloe asked uncertainly. "Oh, you kids have done enough for now." Myrna reassured, "I think you deserve a rest." "Besides, we missed a day of school." Rachael moaned. "And it's not like anyone saw us get abducted." Sharpay added, "So, basically, we have no excuse."

"Oh, Sharpay…" Cloe began, "You had a family emergency which you'd rather not talk about…Ryan fell down a flight of stairs and got pretty battered up, so you were obligated to take care of him, seeming he was unconscious for most of the time." "Really?" Sharpay exclaimed, recognizing that as a cover story, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She hugged Cloe excitedly. "Figures." Ryan muttered with a smile, "I go through all this to protect you and _I'm_ the one who does something stupid and gets hurt." "Well, it would explain your current condition." Cloe explained. "And, if you think about it, you taking that beating by the knight was pretty stupid." Sharpay teased. "Yeah, it kind of was." Rachael added with a smile.

"Hey." Ryan stated, "I only did it because I –" "Well, I think it was very brave of you." Cloe cut him off as she gripped his arm affectionately, "It showed me how strong and sensitive you are. And it proves how dedicated to me you really are and…I thought it was very manly." "Well…" Ryan told her, trying to finish his previous statement, "I'd put up with anything that bad because I l–" "What about me?" Rachael interrupted, "Where's _my_ cover story?" "Yeah, you kind of came down with some sudden sickness and I needed to help you because your parents were away." Cloe explained, "Does that work?" Rachael thought it over to herself.

"Why not?" she finally stated, "It's kind of…dramatic…and true as it's ever going to get to the truth." "Yeah it is." Ryan realized, "Because technically our parents were away and Cloe and Sharpay were the ones taking care of us. After all, they did come up with this brilliant plan." "Right. Now that we're all informed, you kids need to get back home and _rest_." Myrna instructed, "Take Zac and head back to the mansion." "Right." The four agreed.

"We'll be back as soon as we fix things up here." Daniel explained, "So, please hurry so we can get ready to set things straight with the knights, monkeys, and pigs. The animals, I might add, are actually the beings of Magicath Theresa was planning on…eating…if they didn't follow her commands." "All right, let's go home." Cloe told her group as they all held hands, with Zac's lamp tucked safely under Rachael's arm, "See you later, mom." "Bye, kids." was the reply before the four were transported back to earth and appeared in the Evans' family room. The group sighed as they collapsed on the couch, satisfied with their days' work. It was night, so they eventually headed up to their rooms and slept until the morning.

The next day, the first one up was Ryan. He'd gotten dressed and was about to leave his room, but Cloe was standing in his doorway before he reached it. "Where do you think you're going?" Cloe demanded, though she already knew the answer. Ryan stared at her in her night gown. _'Wow, she looks so beautiful.'_ He thought to himself, _'It makes me want to hold her tight and just kiss her.'_ Cloe cleared her throat bringing him out of his daze. "Um…I was just going downstairs." Ryan managed to say as he stared at his girlfriend's impatient expression. "You weren't thinking of leaving the mansion, were you?" Cloe asked already knowing his intentions.

"Come on. What about school?" Ryan asked, hoping she'd let him go, "We already missed a day and no one's going to notice if we just slip back in." "_You_ need to rest and _we_ will take care of you." Cloe explained as she walked toward him, "You've been beaten up…and besides, it's only Wednesday. It won't make a difference if we show up or not." "What about the callbacks? They're on Friday, remember?" Ryan argued, "Sharpay and I need to rehearse." Cloe sighed as she grabbed his arm and led him back to the bed, sitting him down on it when they got there.

"You two can practice later." Cloe told him, sitting on his lap when he tried to get up again, "You have plenty of time before you need to Bop to the Top. So, I'm not leaving until you get some rest." "What if I don't want you to leave?" Ryan asked her as he wrapped his arms around her waist, while she remained on his lap. "Well, if you're good…I'll stay." Cloe smiled at him, "But you have to promise me you'll be a good boy." "I make no promises." Ryan teased as he lay down on the bed, holding Cloe next to him, "That is a promise."

Cloe faced him and smiled. "You know, you're never going to get any rest, if you're going to be like this." She told him as a matter-of-factly. "But I don't want to rest." Ryan answered, "I missed you and I only wanted to be with you because I lo–"Cloe kissed him on the lips before he could finish his sentence. She always seemed to cut him off, but it didn't seem to matter too much because Cloe was finally letting him take over.

Ryan kissed her back and held her tight. When he separated, he kissed the side of her chin and worked his way down her neck to her bare shoulder. He continued working his way across her collarbone and Cloe giggled at his tender touch. Ryan pulled Cloe on top of him and continued to caress her neck with his lips. Cloe's breathing got quicker and more desperate. Ryan noticed the door was still open and, without pausing for a breath, he flicked his wrist and the door closed and locked.

"Ryan." Cloe breathed as Ryan worked his way across her chest, making her squeal in delight. "Mmm, hmm." He hummed as he pulled his hands over her back and continued to kiss her neck, working his way up to her chin again. "Ryan." Cloe breathed more desperately now, "Ryan…please stop. Please…Ryan…are you listening? I said please –" It was too late; Ryan's lips had crashed on top of hers, smothering her last few words. She groaned into his mouth as his hands crept across her back and around her waist, locating and feeling all the curves of her body.

Cloe closed her eyes and allowed Ryan to continue his wanderings around her body as she flung her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. When they separated from their kiss, Ryan muttered, "How far do you want to take this?" "Not far." Cloe begged as she opened her eyes again and stared into Ryan's, "Ryan…no more…we've gone too far already. Please, no more." "Don't worry." Ryan told her as he rolled her underneath him, "I won't hurt you. I promise." "Ryan…no –" Cloe pleaded, but Ryan kissed her on the lips again and caressed her face with his hands.

Cloe supposed she'd gotten herself into this mess in the first place. Maybe she shouldn't have kissed him so eagerly. Ryan's hands moved down her body, resting on her hips, traveling over every curve, making her squeal. Maybe she hadn't been clear on how far she'd intended for this to go, but Ryan wouldn't hurt her, would he? Ryan released her mouth and moved down to her chest again, traveling up and down her neck and collarbone; almost but not actually touching her breasts with his mouth. As he got to the side of her neck, he nipped her gently with his teeth, making her cry out in fear.

"Ryan…what are you doing?" Cloe asked a little loudly as her adrenaline rushed, "Stop…Ryan, please…I'm warning you." It was no use. Ryan kept on sucking on her neck, no doubt leaving hickies she'd probably have to cover up later. _'Why was he doing this?'_ Cloe couldn't help wondering to herself, _'Why had he chosen _now_ to start?'_ More importantly, she wondered, why wasn't she showing any physical attempts to stop him? Could it be because she enjoyed it or because she had stronger feelings for him? She couldn't think straight while Ryan was rubbing her stomach with his hand between their close bodies.

She tried to concentrate, but his sucking only increased. Ryan moved to the other side of her neck and started to nip and suck on that side too. Ryan's other hand rested on the small of Cloe's back and she laughed as he tickled her. It made her writhe underneath him…and he laughed softly as he continued to nip and suck at her neck, making her squeal even more. "Please…stop." Cloe tried to say through her shortened breaths, "Stop…before I…have to –"

Ryan kissed her on the lips to keep her from speaking. "Don't make me get careless." Ryan warned her between kisses and she whimpered slightly in defeat. "Don't hurt me." Cloe begged in a small voice. "Why would I hurt the most beautiful girl ever to have landed in my life?" Ryan asked her as he kissed the space in between her breasts, making her squirm in anxiety for what would happen next. "Because…because you don't care about how this makes me feel." Cloe screamed desperate for him to let her go. "But if I let you go now, you won't come back and you'll leave me for someone else like Troy Bolton." Ryan told her softly as he looked down into her eyes and Cloe put on a face.

"Troy's a jerk." She told Ryan, who smiled, "And if you don't let me go right now, Ryan Evans…I'll never speak to you again!" Ryan sighed and got off her. Cloe sat up, climbed out of the bed, and smoothed out her night gown as she walked over to the door. Ryan watched her as she stopped and turned to him impatiently, hands on her hips. "The lock." Cloe demanded and heard it click open. With that, she opened the door, stomped out, and slammed the door behind her.

Later on that day, Sharpay came down into the kitchen and stopped when she saw Cloe, whose neck was covered in hickies and thin read spots that looked like she'd been lightly and repeatedly bitten. "What did he do to you this time?" Sharpay quickly asked, knowing that Ryan was behind it. Cloe looked up at her worried expression from where she sat at the table. "Is it really that bad?" She asked in concern. "Oh, Cloe…what did he do?" Sharpay sympathized, walking over to the girl and wrapping her in a hug, "Tell me what happened."

Cloe sighed as she shook her head in embarrassment, "He started to make out with me until I threatened him to stop." Sharpay gasped and hugged the girl tighter in comfort. Ryan was in bug trouble if this was serious. "Oh, he didn't hurt you, did he?" Sharpay questioned, trying to make sure the only damage was what was visible and not hidden by the clothing, "If he did, I swear he's got another thing coming to him –" "No, Sharpay, I'm fine." Cloe explained, cutting her off, "It was sort of my fault." Sharpay was sort of confused by that. So Cloe was responsible for this? "How?" Sharpay asked curiously.

"I kissed him first." Cloe told her quietly, "Then, he got a bit carried away." Sharpay thought it over. "No…if he got carried away, it would be a lot worse." She corrected her matter-of-factly, "I know him well enough to tell you that." "Thanks." Cloe stated gratefully, finally returning the hug as she stood up. "But, if he even dares to get careless with you…" Sharpay began almost angrily, "…he's gonna get it." "Please don't." Cloe said tiredly with a groan; she knew Sharpay cared but the last thing she wanted was for her to do something rash, "And don't tell Rachael either." "Why?" Sharpay questioned though she probably knew the answer. "Because she'll kill him." Cloe explained simply. "Okay, I won't tell her." Sharpay promised with a small sigh of defeat. "Thank you." Cloe sighed happily. "Now, come on." Sharpay stated, leading Cloe out of the kitchen, "We have to get you fixed up." With that, they headed to her room.

Later that day, Ryan and Sharpay practiced for their callback. Cloe decided to stay in her room the rest of the day and only Sharpay knew why. "Where's Cloe?" Ryan asked curiously after one of their practices. "Not here." Sharpay responded harshly casting him a threatening glare. "Where is she?" Ryan tried again with a sigh. "Avoiding _you_." Sharpay told him sternly. "Why?" Rachael asked looking around in confusion, "Did they break up?" "I hope not." Ryan stated worriedly. He really hoped she was feeling all right. "Maybe you should just leave her alone." Sharpay suggested stiffly.

"Is someone going to tell me what happened?" Rachael complained hoping to understand what was wrong with her friend. "No." the twins responded quickly, looking at her abruptly. "Fine." Rachael muttered, a bit taken aback by their behavior, "I'll just go hang out with Zac." She hated not knowing things, but she got up from the family room couch where she'd watched their practice. When she'd left the room ad trudged up the stairs, Ryan turned to his twin sister.

"She _told_ you?" Ryan realized in disbelief and slight embarrassment. "So?" Sharpay stated bluntly as she crossed her arms and cocked one of her hips out to the side impatiently. "Why did she tell _you_?" Ryan asked, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation, "I thought she'd tell Rachael if anyone." "You're a shameless monster, you know that? She looked a mess, Ryan!" Sharpay yelled at him, trying not to be too loud in case Rachael overheard them, "I helped her hide the marks so Rachael wouldn't find out…because we both know Rachael would kill you if she knew."

"I'm sure it couldn't have been that bad." Ryan stated hopefully, trying to convince himself he hadn't hurt Cloe. Sharpay snarled at him. "She's in her room right now because she's too _embarrassed_ to show her face in case the marks show through." She explained in a low but threatening voice as she backed Ryan into the wall, finally letting out her anger from before, ranting in Ryan's face, "Whatever you did to her, you're gonna pay for it now because there are so many things a girl can do while locked in her room _alone_. For all you know, she could be trying to bash her brains out or smother herself in her pillow."

The twins were face to face, Sharpay's heavy breathing matched the enraged expression on her face, and Ryan was barely breathing at all as he stared back frightened into his sister's eyes. "You know something, Ryan?" Sharpay began ferociously, "Sometimes…I _despise_ you." With that, she cast him one last meaningful glare before backing up and stomping away. Ryan remained pressed up against the wall though no one was keeping him there, thinking it over to himself. What had he done?

The next day was the day before the callbacks…and everything almost seemed to be back to normal. Cloe had come out of her room, but she still wasn't talking to Ryan. No one brought up what happened the day before and Rachael still didn't know, otherwise Ryan would probably have been injured in his sleep. The only time Cloe came near him was to help him clean his cuts, which were healing very nicely. Ryan and Sharpay had managed to practice Bop to the Top a couple more times, but Sharpay refused to speak to him for anything else. Ryan wondered if he'd ever be able to set things right again.

**(A/N) OMG! I'm listening to *NSYNC! **_**Anywho**_**…how'd you like my really long chappie? What does Ryan keep trying to tell Cloe? Can anyone guess what it was? If you do, I'll give you a virtual box of candy. That was sort of a hint…a really bad one, but it was sort of one. What will happen to their relationship after that very awkward exchange? And I know that strange scene was just that: strange. But I was bored one night and I sort of started getting in the mood to write a really strange love scene like that. And now you know that lack of sleep + extreme boredom + crazy = really weird love scenes.**

**Subject Change! Okay, so now, to get my 200 reviews I need at least 6 reviews per chappie posted. So everyone here, review right now! YAY! The button isn't that hard to find. I mean, they enlarged it and it's directly at the bottom of the page. Yeah, that big one that says something like SUBMIT REVIEW!**

**So, yeah…plz leave me loads of little presents plz plz plz plz? Pwease? Adorable w's. =D if there was a way to make puppy dog eyes on this thing, I totally would. If anyone knows how, plz plz plz let me know in a **_**review**_** or maybe just in a PM. Either way, it's an excuse to get me somewhere closer to my goal of 200. Sighs.**

**BTW, did you all like Daniel's flashback? I had to rewrite it because it was way too short and quite frankly it sucked. But you got the good/better version of it. YAY! Don't worry, you aren't missing anything special. I didn't pull out anything. I simply just reworded and added junk. K?**

**So, I had to mention that cuz I hate it when authors and such say they rewrote something and then I wanna know what they did to it (not that I have any right to nose into anyone else's business like that) because I'm a very curious little bat (inside joke ask me about it in a review and I'll tell you teehee) and it just drives me crazy cuz I get paranoid that maybe there was an important piece of info in there somewhere that would have helped with the plot of the story and such.**

**Ya know? It just drives me even more nutters than I already am. So, plz leave me loads of nutty little reviews to make my crazy little brain happy. YAY for you! Luv ya!**

_**Longest author's note ever.**__**Weird…dot dot dot…way to make it longer. Shakes head and walks away. Runs back to update and then walks away again with a sigh.**_


	38. Bop To The Top

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the things I previously mentioned I don't own (that includes really cute boys…one in particular, can you guess?). And I do own all the things I previously mentioned I do own (that'd be everything magical in this fic…not characters from the movie though…never those).

**Chapter 38: Bop To The Top**

The next morning, Ryan had made a huge breakfast for everyone to make up for everything in the past few days. It was Friday and everyone had just started to come downstairs. As the others walked into the kitchen, they stopped to look at the table which was covered with plates of eggs, toast, and fruits prepared in many different ways. Pancakes and waffles with butter and syrup were also there. Breakfast muffins and so much more filled all four plates on the table. "What's all this?" Sharpay laughed in surprised. "Breakfast." Ryan answered as he hovered by the sink, "I made it to make up for all that's been going on in the past few days."

"I don't know what's been going on, but right now I'll accept your apology and eat." Rachael said as she walked up to the table and bit off a piece of a pancake, sighing happily, "Buttermilk." "I'm really sorry, but it's been so crazy I guess I kind of lost my head for a while." Ryan apologized more to Cloe than anyone else. "I don't know what you did, but you sure know how to make up for it." Rachael said between bites. "Well, I think this is very nice of you, Ryan." Sharpay began and she looked at Cloe, "What do you think, Cloe?" Cloe walked over to Ryan and stopped in front of him with a grin on her face.

"I think…I forgive you." She told him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips as she hugged him. "I'm sorry, Angel." Ryan apologized again, "I don't know what I was thinking at the time." "It's okay." Cloe told him, then she reached up to whisper in his ear, "I think I kind of liked it." Ryan smiled as Cloe playfully nibbled on his ear before letting go and kissing him on the cheek. "But don't get careless." She warned him. "Only if you say so." Ryan promised, "Scout's honor." "I didn't know you were a boy scout." Cloe spoke louder this time, "How come I wasn't told that?" "I didn't think you needed to know." Ryan responded, "But I think we should eat." Cloe looked up at him slightly and smiled, "Looks good." Ryan smiled back at her as they walked towards the table and whispered in her ear, "You too."

Later that day, in English class, Miss. Darbis had taken notice of the reappearance of her Drama Club members. She'd given her sympathy to Ryan about his fall and hadn't neglected to remind them all that they had homework to catch up on…but they could turn it in whenever they had the chance. After receiving so many sympathetic greetings from everyone they knew, the four had decided that rumors had spread and, for some reason, they figured that they didn't want to know.

During lunch, they lost count of how many people came up to them to check if what they'd heard was true. "Hey." Chad greeted them acting oddly out of character. The group sighed and looked at him as he walked up to their table. "What do _you_ want to know?" Sharpay questioned with a bored expression that had been plastered on her face since school began. "Well, I'm sort of glad to see that you're back and I was wondering…" Chad began, "is it true that Cloe and Ryan got into a fight and Cloe beat him up?" Ryan stood up quickly and would have thrown a punch at the jock, but Rachael and Sharpay held him back and forced him back into his seat.

"No, Chad." Cloe answered in a flat tone, "He fell down the stiars and was unconscious for most of that day. Anything _else_?" "Yeah." Chad stated with a slight grin as he quickly glanced over at Ryan, who was scowling before he looked Cloe up and down, "Are you…single?" Ryan tried to lunge forward, but Sharpay and Rachael held him back. "Leave…" Cloe demanded, "before I let them set my angry _boyfriend_ on you." Chad looked over at Ryan, who was practically growling, sighed, and walked away.

"That's it!" Ryan almost screamed, still struggling to break free of the girls' grasp, "I can't take it anymore. I told you we should have come back sooner." "If we did, Ryan, you'd be in your worse condition and it would lead to worse rumors." Cloe explained as she got up and flung her arms around his neck, standing behind him, "And we can't afford to let that happen." "Why not?" Ryan asked as eh started to calm down and Sharpay and Rachael released their grip on his arms. "Because I really care about you." Cloe answered with a smile.

"That's nice." Ryan responded and was about to ask Cloe a question, but she sat on his lap, "Ah, using your abilities to tap into my mind and figure out what I'm going to say next. Very clever." "At least you were going to ask first." Cloe said, leaning her head against his shoulder and the side of his neck, which she kissed lightly. "Cloe." Ryan began, "What are you doing?" Cloe sighed and sat up straight so she could look him in the eye. "I was going to wish you luck today for your callbacks." She explained to him and turned so she was also facing Sharpay, "Good luck guys. Though I hope you should know that Troy and Gabriella will have a plan to show up. So, try your best."

"What do you mean they already have a plan?" Sharpay asked. "The science squad and the jocks came up with a plan, so keep your eyes open for anything that might be big and…different." Cloe stated. "Well, there goes all further chances with Troy." Rachael noted, receiving a glare from Sharpay, "I mean…both of their teams have a plan and are working together to get Troy and Gabriella on stage to sing together which will no doubt bring them together." "Great." Sharpay grunted and continued to eat her lunch.

After school that day, Sharpay and Ryan headed off to the dressing rooms to prepare for their callbacks. Cloe and Rachael decided they'd meet up with them backstage later on. "All right." Cloe told Rachael as they walked into an empty room, closing the door behind them, "I'm going to try and contact my mother, so I need you to stand guard by the door." Rachael sighed, "Fine, but we only have about an hour or so before the callbacks begin." "I know." Cloe smiled as she began to meditate so Rachael left the room, closing the door behind her, and stood outside waiting.

The way Cloe's face went blank and her body went limp when she meditated sort of creeped Rachael out. It reminded her of a sci-fi movie with all that scary graphic stuff. Suddenly, there was a strange movement at the end of the hall. It was probably the janitor. Rachael sighed heavily. Then, there was a quiet pitter patter of feet hitting the floor in an attempt to be quiet. When Rachael looked, it stopped and no one was there. Theresa couldn't have come back, could she? It was almost like the time Theresa had followed them to Rachael's house, when they'd decided to walk. It was impossible for that to happen again now that Theresa was trapped. Rachael tried to relax again, but was soon startled by a basketball that bounced up to her and landed at her feet. She quickly kicked it away. Then, it clicked – bouncing basketballs, squeaky shoes, swift movements – it all made sense now.

"Catch!" a voice called and another basketball flew at Rachael, who caught it just in time, "Nice one." Rachael saw Chad walking up to her with a smile on his face. "What do you want?" Rachael asked as she shoved the ball into his arms, trying to avoid a conversation with the jock who had tried to ask out her best friend. "I was just passing by before the game so I thought I'd just have some fun." Chad explained as he turned the ball over in his hands, staring at Rachael thoughtfully, "So…uh, that was a nice catch. Ever thought of playing basketball?"

"No. I think this school is way too much about basketball." Rachael stated, trying to lighten the mood a bit, "Plus, I dance." "Well, I'm positive that dancing feet would be extremely helpful on the court." Chad continued, handing the ball out to Rachael, 'What do you say?" His smile was 100% genuine. It almost made Rachael want to agree with him as she smiled back. "Well, the only good thing I can do with my feet is dancing. They're no good when I'm not on the stage, so I don't think they'd be of any use on the court…except to knock out members of the team." Rachael responded as she pushed the ball away, "I think I'll just stick to drama."

"Speaking of which, how are Ryan and Sharpay?" Chad asked curiously "Are they ready for their callback?" Rachael eyed him suspiciously, trying to figure out what he was getting at. Why did _he_ care? "They're always ready." She told him, "Why do you want to know?" "Oh…I just wanted to make sure they weren't nervous or anything." Chad said, 'So, it's true that Ryan and Cloe are still dating?" Ah, he just wasn't going to let it go was he? "Yes, Chad." Rachael grumbled, "They are." "That's too bad." Chad said again, "Cloe's pretty cute."

"What are you getting at?" Rachael questioned angrily, "Cloe and Ryan are happily dating and they won't be breaking up anytime soon, so deal with it." "I know, I know. They look so good together." Chad stated, "Everyone's okay with them being together and that's cool, right?" Rachael nodded as she wondered where this was going. "Of course it is." Chad continued as he smiled that soft genuine smile, "I was just wondering…are you available tomorrow night?" He looked her up and down before meeting her gaze. "How dare you ask me that!" Rachael squeaked angrily and punched Chad in the arm, making him drop the ball, "I'm dating someone!" "I didn't know!" Chad exclaimed as he gripped his arm in pain, "Why did you _punch_ me? I don't even know if I've met the guy."

"Because…you tried to ask out Cloe this morning when _she's_ dating Ryan." Rachael began, "Now, you're over it and come to me, her _best friend_! Think about _that_ and tell me you don't deserve to get hit." "I still didn't know you were dating someone." Chad argued, "How _was _I supposed to know? I never see you around school with anyone, but your friends and I've never once heard rumor or talk about you dating. Trust me…I would have known. The cheerleaders hear everything and know who's dating who."

He was right and for once he had a point. How would he have known? "Sorry, but that doesn't make up for how you went about it." Rachael said stiffly. "It's fine." Chad assured as he picked up the basketball, "At least tell me the guy's name so I know you're not lying to me." "If I do, will you leave me alone?" Rachael asked hopefully. "Promise." Chad answered, "I'll even leave your friends alone too." "I hope so…for your sake." Rachael began, "His name is Zac." "Come on, you've got to give me more than that." Chad complained, "What's his last name?"

"Efron." Rachael murmured, "Zac Efron." Chad stood there in alarm. He couldn't have heard that right. Zac Efron was one of the most famous male actors ever known to Disney Channel. "No, I _know_ you're lying to me." He stated, "That's impossible." Rachael thought about that. What was so impossible about it? Even though Zac had told her he was known as an actor in his spare time, it still didn't seem that impossible to believe. Famous guys find normal girls they like and date them. How hard was that to accept?

"I'm not lying to you…but I will tell you that I don't like you in the way you want me to." Rachael told the jock who frowned, "Listen, I don't have to prove anything to you, so just get over it, all right? There are plenty of other girls who would date you, so try asking them." "Sure, but I still don't believe you're dating Zac Efron." Chad stated as he walked away. "You don't have to." Rachael called after him, making him chuckle slightly, "Oh, and good luck." "Thanks." The jock responded as he disappeared around a corner.

Cloe finally emerged from the room and sighed. "So, how was the…er…chat?" Rachael questioned as she and her best friend walked in the direction of the auditorium, "Did you hear any news from your mom and Daniel?" "Well, they've got your mother and your aunt, but they're still monkeys." Cloe explained quietly in case of eavesdroppers, "They aren't vampiric anymore and they don't have wings, but they're still monkeys. My mom is still trying to find a way to change them back to normal again, but not even Daniel can crack it." Rachael bit her lip in thought. "You mean they can't crack the spell that's on them?" she asked though she thought she knew what was coming next.

"That's just it." Cloe stated quietly, "They don't know what's been put on them. They just can't seem to crack it." "Well, what does Daniel think?" Rachael asked, hoping the genie would have some sort of answer. "Daniel suspects that there's some kind of key that has some kind of super power to unlock the spell or whatever that's made them stay monkeys." Cloe answered, "Right now, they're stumped trying to figure it out." "What about everyone else who were turned into animals?" Rachael asked quickly, "Are they all right?" Cloe smiled at her friend, "Yeah, the charm on them wasn't that strong so they're normal again."

Rachael sighed in relief and concern. What if everything got worse? What if they couldn't fix it? What if nothing ever became normal again? "It'll be fine, Squeakers." Cloe reassured with a sigh, "Don't worry. I know we'll fix the problem." When they entered the auditorium, they net Ryan and Sharpay backstage to wish them luck while Darbis gave her speech. "Good luck, you'll do great." Cloe told them and gave Ryan a quick good luck kiss. She hugged Sharpay and gave them both thumbs up before they rushed off to get in position.

Rachael was still fretting over what would happen, if everything went wrong. How would Sharpay take it? What would happen when their dads came back to find their wives turned into primates? "Squeaks." Cloe whispered to interrupt her thoughts, "Can you stop screaming your thoughts so loud? It's giving me a headache. Everything will be fine." "Why are you listening to my thoughts anyway?" Rachael questioned in a whisper as well. "I can't help it." Cloe explained softly, "The amulet makes everything come through clearer like a radio without static. And the stress you're feeling is radiating off you full blast. Please calm down." "Oh. Sorry." Rachael mumbled, trying to relax and watch the twins' performance, "So, what did your mom say about returning home?"

Cloe stared at her with a small frown. Just then, the music stopped playing and there was a huge round of applause from the little audience as the twins walked off the stage and met up with Cloe and Rachael backstage. "How were we?" Ryan asked the other two. "You were great." Cloe responded, trying to smile. "Just great?" Sharpay questioned, sensing something was a bit off. "No, you were fabulous." Rachael cut in, trying to forget her previous questions. "We know _you_ think so." Sharpay told the girl, "You've watched us every time we rehearsed."

"We were mostly asking Cloe." Ryan explained, noticing the dazed expression on his girlfriend's face, "Who sort of looks like she's hiding something from us. Is she okay?" Rachael shrugged and turned to her best friend in concern. At that moment, a white light and the scent of smoof filled the air around them. Daniel and Myrna had just appeared out of what looked like thin air…and they were bearing two gifts. "Hey, you found our mom." Ryan realized out loud in slight shock. "And mine." Rachael added and quickly realized, "And they're stuck as monkeys." There was a silent shock that passed between the twins and, to ruin the moment, they heard oddly familiar voices.

"They made it." Cloe whispered and everyone knew they weren't still talking about the monkeys, "I told you. They made it!" She was trying not to yell in anger. "It can't be." Sharpay grumbled in frustration. "Who made it?" Daniel questioned curiously. "Try and Gabriella made it after all." Ryan stated and turned to Cloe, "You were right, Angel. We're sorry for not taking it seriously." "It's fine. You two go handle whatever it is you need to do." Cloe replied a bit dizzy, "I need to…clear my mind a bit." "All right!" Sharpay stated angry that Troy and Gabriella were going through with this, "Let's go, Ryan." "Right behind you, sis." Ryan answered and the two walked up to Miss. Darbis to find an answer to what was going on.

"I can't believe it." Rachael groaned, "They've worked too hard for this to go wrong. I'm sure Gabriella and Troy would back out, if we explained how much this means to Ryan and Sharpay." "I doubt it and the worst part is that they don't even care about all this." Cloe explained icily, "They're only interested in getting high status for outdoing East High's 'Ice Queen' and her 'evil counterpart'. It's not fair! Sharpay and Ryan don't deserve this…any of this. It's not their fault that no one besides us likes them. Gabriella and Troy don't even know them. It's. Not. Fair." Cloe fell to her knees and began crying into her hands.

Rachael knelt down beside her, "Life's not fair." "I know." Cloe whispered in a shaky voice. "The amulet is making all this happen?" Rachael asked knowingly. "Yes." Myrna responded with a frown as she cradled the two monkeys in her arms, "The amulet is strengthening her abilities, so she's feeling the emotions of the people around her. It's quite overpowering actually. There's too much excitement, panic, anger, and confusion." "Well, there's only one thing left for us to do." Daniel began to say before Sharpay cut him off as the twins approached them.

"I can't believe this!" Sharpay exclaimed in frustration, "The whole _school_ is against us!" "It's bad enough that Theresa was against us…" Ryan complained before he noticed Cloe, who was still kneeling on the floor hunched over onto her knees, "What happened? Is she okay?" He knelt down next to her and gathered her in his arms. "She's just having a breakdown." Daniel reassured with a tiny bemused smile, "We should get her away from here." "Should we bring her back to the mansion?" Rachael asked Myrna, who nodded in response. "I'll drive." Sharpay offered, holding up Ryan's keys. "No one's _driving_." Myrna responded as she summoned the keys from Sharpay's hand and Daniel caught them, "I will transport all of you home to the mansion and Daniel and I will take the car. We'll meet up with you later."

"Wait…one of you is going to be driving?" Rachael questioned curiously as she stood up and walked over to stand next to Sharpay. "Well, actually…Daniel is driving." Myrna smiled as Ryan looked up at her in shock. "A genie is driving my car?" Ryan exclaimed, "You're letting someone who missed 3 millennia of time drive _my car_?" "Oh, come on…I've played enough Need For Speed and Grand Theft Auto." Daniel laughed dismissively, 'I know how to drive a car." Ryan clenched his jaw. "I want it back in one piece." He grumbled, "Or you'll suffer an untimely demise." "I make no promised." Daniel smiled, "You may take that as a promise." Ryan groaned to himself.

"Fine." Sharpay agreed as she watched Cloe cry into Ryan's shirt, "But we should probably hurry." "What about our moms?" Rachael questioned eagerly, hoping they were going to be cured, "What are you going to do with them?" "Nothing. _You_ are going to take them with you while we run some quick errands." Myrna explained as she walked up to Rachael and Sharpay, handing each one a monkey, "Rachael, you have Delilah. And Sharpay, you have your mother, Corinne. Be careful with them and don't let them eat anything chocolate. Fair warning." "Right." Rachael agreed as she gripped her mother in her arms.

Sharpay looked at her mother, who was clinging to her arm and staring at her with big eyes. Then, she looked over at Ryan, who was holding Cloe in his arms close to his chest as she gripped the front of his shirt and cried even harder. Ryan kept kissing her hair and whispering soothing things to her. "Let's just get them home." Sharpay muttered as she turned to Myrna, "Okay, we're ready." Myrna nodded, raised her hands and transported he group back to the Evans' mansion, where they appeared in the family room.

"Who knew saving the world could be so tiring?" Rachael asked as she tried to stop her mother from pulling at her hair, "Right…Cloe did…_and_ her mom." "Ryan, would you take mother? She's starting to scare me." Sharpay stated as she stared at Corinne, who was almost grinning at her. Ryan lifted his face from Cloe's hair, but didn't look at his sister when he asked, "What is she doing?" "She's staring at me. Almost laughing at me." Sharpay said. "Maybe she's not laughing at you, Shar." Ryan told her softly as he pushed back a few strands of hair from Cloe's wet face, "Maybe she's proud of you."

Sharpay watched as her mother snuggled up against her in her arms and she smiled slightly as she rocked the little monkey back and forth, "We have to help her, Ry. Mom and Delilah can't stay monkeys forever." "We can't do anything until Myrna and Daniel get back with my car." Ryan replied, hoping they'd be back soon. "Rachael…" Sharpay began as she saw the brunette come back from the kitchen where she'd apparently gone, "Where is…Delilah?" "Oh, I left her in the kitchen with some food." Rachael answered as Corinne jumped out of Sharpay's arms and ran in the direction of the kitchen, "Why?" Sharpay followed her mother and stopped in shock when she reached the kitchen. "Sharpay?" Rachael asked as she followed her and stopped right next to her, staring into the kitchen.

"That's why." Sharpay muttered as she pointed to the two monkeys sitting next to a partially eaten chocolate cake with chocolate all over their faces, "You let them eat chocolate? Myrna told us _not_ to let them eat anything chocolate! How could you be so careless?" "What's going on in there?" Ryan called from where he sat in the family room with Cloe, who was only just starting to calm down, "Is everything all right?" "No." Sharpay answered, "Rachael let our mom and Delilah eat chocolate and now I can tell that something bad is going to happen." "It's not my fault." Rachael argued, "You let go of Corinne." "That's because she bit me." Sharpay retorted thoughtfully.

"Then, how come I don't see any bite marks on your hand?" Rachael questioned knowingly. "You've going blind." Sharpay shot back and pulled off Rachael's glasses with a smile before Rachael grabbed them back. "I think I'll stick with contacts." The brunette muttered as she put her glasses back on and looked up to see the two monkeys crawling away, "Hey, get back here!" The girls chased the monkeys around the kitchen and back into the family room. "You fed them chocolate?" Ryan asked with a smile, "What does _that_ do to them? Make them hyper?" Cloe looked around the room at the two girls chasing the monkeys and closing doors and windows along the way. She was sitting in Ryan's lap with his arms holding her against his chest so she could hear his heart.

"Ryan." She stuttered through shaky breaths, "I th-think that I'm g-going thr-through this because s-something b-bad i-is about to ha-happen." "You're probably right, Angel." Ryan realized, "You should have calmed down by now. What bad thing besides hyper monkeys can actually go wrong?" Suddenly, there was a crash outside suggesting that something had just hit the mansion. "Let's go." Ryan stated urgently as he picked up Cloe bridal-style and hurried outside, thinking he'd heard a car. The other two followed, making sure the monkeys couldn't escape while they were gone.

The moment they got outside, they saw Myrna and Daniel had arrived with Ryan's badly dented car. "What did you do to my car?" Ryan exclaimed as he watched Myrna and Daniel step out of it and walk up to him. The rest of them just stared at the scene in front of them. Cloe could feel Ryan shaking and she was surprised he didn't drop her, so she hooked her arms around his neck just in case. "That was the most fun I've had in years!" Myra exclaimed excitedly, "Since Cloe was born I haven't had time to risk it all." "See, I told you those games helped." Daniel sighed happily, "Don't worry, Ryan. The car got off easy compared to what everyone else did."

"I can see that you ruined my car." Ryan began to complain, "But what kind of errands were you running? What were you trying to do? Tick off the cops?" "No." Myrna answered with a smile, "That was just a bonus." "Don't worry. We lost them." Daniel reassured and watched Ryan's face practically whiten. "What did you _do_?" Ryan questioned in shock. "It's not my fault everyone else kept crashing into the front of the car." Daniel responded with a laugh. "You drove on the wrong side of the road?" Ryan exclaimed, "What kind of important errands were you doing while you were busy smashing up my car?" "We bought chocolate." Daniel stated, holding up a box.

"What kind of chocolate?" Ryan questioned suspiciously. "The really good kind." Daniel explained with a smile, "We thought you'd like it." "Myrna, if you knew _this_ was going to happen, why did you let him drive?" Ryan demanded, ignoring Daniel. "I wanted to see it happen, so we bought you the chocolate so you wouldn't be quite as mad about the car." Myrna told him truthfully. Ryan rolled his eyes, hoping they hadn't left behind them a path of destruction 3 miles long or gotten themselves on the Top Ten FBI's Most Wanted list, "Fine." Daniel handed Cloe the box, since Ryan was still holding her in his arms bridal-style.

Cloe opened the box and removed a small lump of chocolate, which she popped into Ryan's mouth. Ryan chewed it and swallowed before shaking his head at the taste of it. "Yuck! Nugget." He stated in disgust, "It tastes like cement." "How would you know what cement tastes like?" Rachael finally spoke up. "Trust me." Ryan answered through gritted teeth, "It wasn't voluntary." Everyone looked at Sharpay, who stood there smiling. "What?" she asked innocently, "Why is everyone staring at _me_?"

"Because…you live with him." Rachael responded knowingly, "What happened?" "It began as paving the driveway…" Sharpay began with a laugh, "and ended up as all of us pulling him _out_ of the driveway. He just happened to trip over my foot and land face down in the cement…with his mouth open." Ryan was glaring at his sister as he said, "I've burned all the pictures you took and I have yet to find a way to erase that memory." "Good luck with that." Sharpay giggled to herself. "It's all right, Ryan." Cloe told her boyfriend as she tightened her grip around his neck, "Calm down, please." "How can I?" Ryan asked her with a sigh, "We've got you to worry about with your breakdowns; two adults trash my car and give me chocolate that tastes like _cement_. I don't think there's anyway I can calm down unless they trash my sister's car the next time they need one."

"Hey!" Sharpay stated defensively, "You just don't like my car." "If I didn't like it, do you think I'd allow myself to be _seen_ in it?" Ryan retorted stiffly, "Or anywhere near it? Besides…we still have two hyper monkeys inside the house." "Let me guess." Myrna said trying not to laugh, "You fed them chocolate." "How _ever_ did you know?" Rachael asked sarcastically, "Let's just go back inside and deal with our mothers." "Don't worry, Ryan." Cloe whispered to the blond boy who was still holding her, "We'll fix your car." Ryan chuckled to himself as they headed back inside the house.

When they arrived back in the family room, they saw practically the whole room had been pulled apart in under 5 minutes. The two monkeys were jumping across the room on all the furniture. "How much chocolate did you let them eat?" Daniel asked in amusement, "I haven't seen anybody get this hyper since I began acting in my free time." "Is it just me or does it seem like all actors are magical?" Rachael asked him in realization. "Have you ever heard of movie _magic_?" Daniel quizzed, implying the answer, "So, how much did you let them eat?" "They ate half of _my_ cake." Sharpay whined, remembering she hadn't finished it from about a week ago, "So how do we get them to stop?" "Break the curse that's on them." Myrna answered simply, 'But we still can't find anything powerful enough."

"Except my amulet." Cloe interrupted as she watched it glow bright green as if it was telling her to use its power, "My amulet has been the one thing making me control my powers. It made everything come easier to me and it even gave me that overpowering emotional breakdown. This is the power we need to fix this." "That's great!" Rachael and Sharpay exclaimed happily. "Wait." Ryan interrupted as he looked down into Cloe's eyes, "What will happen to Cloe? Will she be all right?" Though he was looking at Cloe, he was asking everyone else and they knew it. Cloe reached up and touched his face with her hands while he held her. "I'll be fine." She told him softly, "Stop worrying yourself." "But Cloe." Ryan argued with her, "You don't understand. I really care about you. I lo–"

"Um…Ryan." Cloe interrupted him again, "You can put me down now…gently, please." Ryan sighed in defeat and put her down on her feet, "You were going to do it anyway." Cloe smiled at him and shrugged. "I live the fact that you two always seem to forget that the rest of us are still in the room." Sharpay groaned as one of the monkeys jumped onto her head making her scream. "It just means they're comfortable with each other." Myrna explained with a satisfied smile, knowing her daughter had found the perfect boy for her. "I think it's cute." Rachael stated before the other monkey jumped on her back causing her to fall forward.

Somewhere along the line, Sharpay tripped in her attempt to run away from the monkey chasing her and Rachael ended up falling on top of her. "You know, you fall on too many people." Sharpay complained, "Had anyone ever told you that?" Rachael laughed nervously as she tried to get the two monkeys off her back so she could get up. "Cloe, all you have to do is focus the energy from the amulet and concentrate on breaking this curse on Corinne and Delilah." Daniel explained to the brunette, who nodded, "Remember to clear your mind of all other thoughts." "You can do this." Ryan reassured her with a smile before using his powers to cast a wave of power from his palms that thrust the monkeys off Rachael and Sharpay and onto the couch.

Cloe cleared her mind as she watched the green glow of the amulet brighten and get larger as she concentrated on breaking the curse. Everyone in the room watched as Cloe's eyes glowed bright green and her arms were outstretched in front of her with her palms facing the monkeys, who were wrestling on the couch. Ryan watched as his girlfriend spread her arms out to the side and a green light seemed to be emitting from her palms. For some reason, in this state, she didn't seem like herself; she seemed almost possessed. The amulet around her neck started rising up into the air, pulling Cloe up along with it.

Ryan looked at Myrna as if to ask what was going on, but she was smiling. Ryan returned his gaze up at Cloe who was floating above their heads now. When it seemed like she was about to float through the roof, she clapped her palms together, filling the house with the green light. When the light faded, Cloe slowly floated back down. Ryan ran over to her and caught her before she hit the ground. Her eyes were closed, she was limp in his arms, and the amulet was gone, but she was breathing softly. Ryan kissed her forehead and she smiled.

"Did it work?" Cloe asked in a small voice, trying to open her eyes. "Yes!" Sharpay and Rachael squealed in excitement as they ran over to the couch to hug their mothers, who were back to normal and feeling slightly dazed. "Chocolate leaves strange side affects." Myrna stated thoughtfully, "But everyone's safe now." "I say we all celebrate with a nice long nap." Daniel suggested, "I'm going to go find my lamp." "Try in my room." Ryan told him with a tiny grin, "I fixed it for you, so it should be on my desk being used as a paper weight." "Thanks." Daniel grunted, tired from all the recent excitement, flicking his wrist as he left causing the room to clean itself up, "I'll deal with the car and the police later."

"Fine." Ryan answered remembering the 'accident'. He picked Cloe up and walked over to the couch where he laid her down next to his mother, who was hugging Sharpay. "Hi, mom." Ryan greeted her and she looked up with a smile. "Ducky…how's my dashing boy?" she asked and stretched an arm out for him, "Get over here and give me a hug." Ryan hugged her, happy to see her human again. "It's good to have you back, mom." He told her, "I missed you." "I missed you too." Mrs. Evans responded, "But I noticed you met a new friend and found your cousin." "Yeah." Ryan said before pulling back, "And my friend, Cloe, is actually…my girlfriend." "Your sister told me that when she and Cloe arrived in the cell before our transformation. Right, Delilah?" Mrs. Evans sighed. "Yes." Mrs. Thomas laughed softly still hugging Rachael, "And your son reminds me of you in every way."

"Well, we better get some rest." Myrna suggested as she walked over to Cloe and picked her up, "I'll go put my daughter into her room before I find one to rest in, if that's all right." "Fine with me." Mrs. Evans replied, "You can stay wherever you like." "Let's get some sleep because we have a game to go to tomorrow." Sharpay announced as they headed for the door so they could get upstairs to their rooms and sleep.

**(A/N) Radio Disney rocks! Okay, as you can tell, that's what I'm listening to right now. Teehee. =D So, uh, how was this extremely long chappie? It was just a quiet reminder that you can't base your driving experience off video games. Just a warning. What does Ryan keep trying to say to Cloe? Can **_**anyone**_** guess? Virtual cakes to anyone who can. And for those of you who guessed that Ryan reminded Mrs. Thomas of Mrs. Evans in that random chappie a while back, you were all spot on! Congrats! You got it right. YAY! Virtual fruit platters to all of you who guessed the right answer.**

**Well, as of right now, I need about 6 reviews per chappie to reach my goal of 200. Um…is anyone still reading this? Hello?! HEEEEEELLOOOOO out there! (echo echo echo) Ah, that's fun if not slightly depressing. Well, plz leave me many pretty little reviews and I'll give you all virtual carrots. Carrots are very good for the eyes especially with French onion dip. Yummy. :) rubs tummy. But if you are allergic to carrots or don't really like them, then let me know in a **_**review**_** and I'll give you some other kind of virtual fruit or veggie. Teehee. Right.**

**So, uh, any predictions about what's gonna happen next? For instance, what strange things might happen at the game Sharpay mentioned? And why did the amulet disappear? Will it ever show up again? Was it destroyed? Can you guess? Can you? Can you? **_**Can you?**_** Uh…ignore that and just click the review button down there. Do the arrows help? Teehee. Down there (v). **


	39. Fun With Basketball

**Disclaimer: **I think you're getting the gist of this now. By now, I'm sure _you_ can tell _me_ what I do and do not own, right? I hope so. There's only 1 more chappie left, so enjoy it while it lasts.

**Chapter 39: Fun With Basketball**

The next day, Sharpay was the first one up. The school basketball was in the afternoon so she had time to pick out an outfit. After a lot of thought, she finally settled on the East High colors: white and red. She laid out her white tank top, silver and white capris, and silver belt on her bed before heading back to her closet to fin her silver shoes. "So, find anything good?" Cloe asked, making Sharpay jump and turn around to see the smiling brunette sitting on the bed. "Cloe. You should warn me the next time you decide to come into my room." Sharpay told her, "And yes, I found the perfect outfit."

She walked over to the bed and placed the flats at the end of it before grabbing a few silver bangles and sitting down next to Cloe. "I'll make sure I knock the next time I decide to transport myself in here." Cloe told the blond before looking over the outfit she'd laid out, "So, who are you trying to catch wearing this? It complements you very well." "You already know who I'm trying to get to notice me." Sharpay blushed only slightly at the thought of Cloe already knowing her intentions. "I know; I just thought it would be more polite to ask." Cloe smiled back at her, "So, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to make my educated 'guess'?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes and sighed. Sometimes it was pretty annoying to have a psychic as a friend…and other times it paid off. "Okay, it's Troy." Sharpay admitted, "I mean, I know he doesn't really like me, but I really like him. I just don't know how to get him to notice _me_ instead of Gabriella." "I can see you have a problem here." Cloe stated thoughtfully, "From what I can tell you, right now, it's probably too late to win Troy over. Gabriella caught his eye since they met and he's planning to ask her out after the game. Sorry."

Sharpay just sat there looking down at the bed. "I knew I wasn't pretty enough for him." She muttered, "I'm just too ugly." "No, you're not." Cloe told her seriously, "Never say that again, okay? You're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met. And I know there are others who think the exact same thing." "Then, why does nobody ever notice me?" Sharpay retorted as she looked up at Cloe expectantly. "Trust me…they do." Cloe responded and sighed, "I can hear their thoughts and I've had to try really hard to shut it out. But there's one guy in particular who _idols_ you."

"Who?" Sharpay asked curiously. Maybe there was still hope for her. "He's made himself known to you." Cloe answered with a small smile, "You've just been so caught up in catching Troy, you never seemed to care, but he won't give up yet."

With that, she transported out of the room, leaving Sharpay to stare. Cloe reappeared in her room where she found Ryan waiting for her. She smiled at him as he sat on her bed. "What's going on now?" she asked him, though she guessed it had something to do with the car. "Did your genie fix my car, yet?" Ryan asked as Cloe sat next to him, "Because I don't want to get a call from the police asking for my alibi."

"Don't worry about it. I had Daniel fix the car and make the police and witnesses forget it ever happened." Cloe reassured as Ryan heaved a sigh of relief, "I told you I'd have the problem fixed." "Do you think Daniel would make everyone forget about that incident where I ate cement when I was little?" Ryan asked hopefully realizing he hadn't had much luck with ingesting foreign objects. "I doubt he would." Cloe told Ryan, who frowned, "He likes to watch you suffer."

"By the way, when did you learn to transport yourself?" Ryan asked her curiously. "I don't know. I guess it must be the amulet." Cloe suggested, reaching towards her neck to touch it, but realized it wasn't there; she looked at Ryan worried and confused, "Where did it go?" Ryan shrugged. "I guess it got destroyed when you broke the curse yesterday." He explained as he watched Cloe's face scrunch up in thought. "It can't be destroyed." Cloe stated, trying to come up with an alternate excuse for it, "Maybe it was just lost or misplaced. If I can still transport, it can't be gone."

Ryan shook his head as he sighed and lay back on the bed. Cloe smiled and looked at him curiously. "What are you doing?" she questioned with a giggle as she watched him. "I give up." Ryan responded as he smiled at her, "I don't want to be my own man, if it means I have to be the only one dealing with all these complications. I'm all yours now. Do whatever you want with me." Cloe laughed as she lay back next to him on the bed. "You know…you won't go through it on your own." She explained and propped herself up on her elbows, rolling onto her side to face him, "You'll have me."

"How do I know you won't leave me to go save the world or something?" Ryan teased her with a small pout. Cloe laughed quietly. "Don't be silly." She told him, "I'd drag you with me." "Really?" Ryan questioned as he raised an eyebrow at her. "I promise." Cloe assured him with a nod. "You? Promise?" Ryan stated playfully as he gave her a knowing look. Cloe just shook her head slowly. "Of course." She said softly, "I'll prove it to you." She leaned over him and kissed him on the lips. Ryan just laid there and let Cloe do whatever she wanted. She deserved it after all that had happened.

Sensing she had the upper hand this time, Cloe separated from Ryan and sat up, repositioning herself so she was straddling his chest. Cupping his face in her hands, she kissed him gently on the lips again as if caressing them. Just then, Mrs. Evans burst into the room and stopped in the doorway in shock. The two separated in slight surprise and embarrassment at being caught as Cloe got off Ryan, who sat up. The three in the room just stared at each other in silence. Cloe's mom walked up behind Mrs. Evans and sighed.

"This is why I give the children privacy." She stated, attracting everyone's attention. "Myrna, I had no idea your daughter was so straight forward and controlling." Mrs. Evans said in a flat tone, turning to face Cloe's mom. "And I had no idea you could be so oblivious." She responded in frustration, "I think we need to talk. Ryan and Cloe, you two can go downstairs and get something to eat." Cloe grabbed Ryan by the hand, pulled him out of the room with her, and they headed downstairs. Myrna closed the door and faced Mrs. Evans.

"Corinne, sometimes you can be so insensitive." She began, "This is your son's first real crush. You shouldn't interfere with what he decides to do." "Surely, you know what was happening, so don't tell me that I shouldn't interfere." Mrs. Evans argued back, "You should be just as concerned as I am about all this. Don't you think we're too young to be grandmothers?" "Who's to say we will be?" Myrna questioned before sighing, "I know you're just worried about losing your son, but you have to listen to me when I say that Cloe and Ryan are a package deal whether or not you want them to be."

"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Evans asked in confusion. "Sit down so we're away from the door." Myrna explained as she escorted her over to the bed and they sat down. "Are they out there?" Mrs. Evans asked suspiciously. "No, they're downstairs waiting for us." Myrna responded, "But, you must remember, we're not the only ones in the house." "Back to the point." Mrs. Evans stated, "What do you mean by 'a package deal'?" "Can you sense that our children love each other?" Myrna asked softly before shaking her head, "Of course, you don't. You've never really seen them together with everyone around. They're so comfortable with each other when they're together that they only see _each other_ in a room full of people. They protect and care about each other, but you wouldn't be able to see that on your own."

"How could you say that?" Mrs. Evans asked, offended by Myrna's accusations, "I care about how my son feels and I am fully aware of how he feels about your daughter." "But are you ever around to tell him that?" Myrna retorted before softening her expression, 'You and your husband care about your children, I know, but you two are always on some kind of business trip doing who knows what." "And where have you been that you've let your daughter get out of hand and get involved with a guy behind your back?" Mrs. Evans asked curiously, feeling kind of guilty for not spending time with her children. Myrna sighed as she let the memories come back to her.

"When I was younger, I tried to stop the crimes going on in your kingdom, Corinne." She began slowly, "I was developing my own ways of getting in an alliance with Theresa…before she turned on your family. We had planned to become more powerful by stopping the war going on within the magical world and gaining your family's respect by calling all the shots. When your father accepted me as his official advisor, Theresa became corrupted with finding more power. She had planned to use me behind my back so I decided to stop her on my own instead of telling the king. For that, I'm still ashamed for not warning him sooner. I thought that, if I found out exactly what Theresa was trying to do, I would be able to prevent it from happening and we'd all be safe. I had underestimated her and…she got to the king before I could and then…"

She cut off there as Corinne took in a breath, waiting for Myrna to continue. "I didn't expect she'd actually destroy him for the powers he possessed. Believe me when I say I tried to stop her, but when I got there…it was too late. I was angry with Theresa for betraying my trust, so I hunted her down, found her, and ended up putting her where she belonged. Locking her up was the only way to go. She had always been jealous that her family's magic was weak compared to most others'. But I hadn't expected…" Myrna took a breath before continuing, "I can't help, but think that, if I'd shown up sooner, I could have–"

"Stop." Mrs. Evans stated softly, "Don't blame yourself. You did everything you could." "No, I didn't." Myrna responded even more upset, "I'm _psychic_! I could have said something sooner and avoided this whole mess." "There's nothing you could have done to change Theresa in any way." Mrs. Evans reassured, "She would have done the same thing eventually. It's not your fault." "I've made many mistakes which I'm not proud of." Myrna began to get to her point, "That one is the biggest. After that, I put away my magic and came here so I could blend in and have a normal life. When I had Cloe, I decided I wouldn't tell her about magic because I didn't want her to know what I'd done."

"So, you did what my sister and I did, hoping the children wouldn't find out about Magicath." Mrs. Evans said, finally understanding what Myrna was saying, "Then stopping all contact with everyone magical to ensure their safety." "Exactly. I even gave her space so she wouldn't pick up on my psychic abilities until she was older." Myrna agreed with a nod, "But now that she knows, I still don't want her to think that I'm crowding her or choosing what she should do for her. So, I give her space and I only step in when she needs me to." "I know what you're getting at." Mrs. Evans sighed, "I have to be there for Ryan and Sharpay without crowding them." "I know I was only your advisor when we were younger, but please listen to me. Your children need to know you're there for them." Myrna told her, "Tell them that." "I know." Mrs. Evans said with a small smile, "Thank you."

Meanwhile…

"Mom, do you ever get the feeling you're missing something big?" Rachael asked her mom as they walked into the kitchen. "I'm the mother of a teenage daughter." Mrs. Thomas replied with a slight laugh, "I get that feeling all the time." They sat down at the table next to Cloe and Ryan, who were quietly eating cereal. "So, what's up with you two?" Rachael asked curiously, "I head someone walked in on you." Mrs. Thomas shot her daughter a glare as Cloe and Ryan looked up at them. "What she means to say is that she wanted to know if you were okay." Mrs. Thomas stated with a concerned smile. "We're fine." Cloe explained before finishing off the last of her cereal. "She's just…grumpy." Ryan said. "Am not." Cloe argued as she got up to wash out her bowl in the sink.

"Not the point." Ryan grumbled before asking Rachael, "So what about you? Who dragged you out of bed this early?" "Actually, Zac fell off my shelf and landed on my head this morning." Rachael explained with a shrug. "So you found Zac and _he_ helped you get your powers back?" Mrs. Thomas asked knowingly. "Yeah." Rachael answered before pausing, "And he's sort of my…boyfriend." There was a strange silence that spread throughout the kitchen. "I knew that boy was trouble." Mrs. Thomas broke the silence, "I'll be back after I have a talk with him." With that, she got up and left the room to have The Talk with Zac, no doubt.

As soon as she was gone, Mrs. Evans walked into the room with Cloe's mom following closely. "Okay…Rachael, you need to leave the room while the rest of us talk for a bit." Mrs. Evans stated with a sigh. "Fine." Rachael stated as she got up to leave, "I better make sure my mom doesn't scare Zac out of his lamp." She ran upstairs as quickly as she could, leaving the four alone. Cloe returned to the table, reclaiming her seat next to Ryan. "We've been talking about you two." Mrs. Evans started to explain as the two adults sat down at the table. Cloe held Ryan's hand in anticipation under the table for support. "And we've decided that, if you two are dating, we need you to understand something." Myrna began before glancing over at Mrs. Evans, who sighed.

"We just want you to know that we're here if you need to talk to us." She said to Ryan and Cloe, "We promise not to intrude. Is that all right with you?" "Thanks, mom." Ryan said to her and squeezed Cloe's hand reassuringly, "We promise not to give you any trouble." "Yeah." Cloe sighed in relief. "Well, you kids better get ready for the day." Myrna reminded them with a smile, "You have a big game to go to today." The two got up and left the room, leaving the adults to eat breakfast.

Later on that afternoon, Ryan had changed into his red dress shirt and black pants. He placed his hat on his head and finished tying his shoes before heading out of his room to wait outside Sharpay's door like he always did. When he got to her room, he knocked on her door. "Shar, you done in there yet?" he asked hopefully. "Almost." Sharpay called back from in her room, "Give me a few minutes to do my hair properly." "Hurry up, then." Ryan told her as he leaned against the wall to wait.

Just then, Cloe walked up to him wearing a white tank top, red short shorts, red and white high heeled sandals, and a red rimmed hat almost like Ryan's. "Hey, gorgeous. Nice outfit." Ryan greeted her, "Who are you planning on picking up with that?" Cloe smiled at him playfully. "Oh, just a little someone I hold very close to me." She answered as she walked closer to him, "I'm sure you've met him." "Hmm, maybe I should have a talk with him first." Ryan teased as he put his arms around Cloe's waist, pulling her closer to him so they touched. "What would you do, if I was to go somewhere without you?" Cloe asked curiously. "I'd be jealous of the next guy you looked at." Ryan answered thoughtfully.

"What if I was to do this to the next guy I look at?" Cloe questioned as she threw her arms around him neck and kissed him on the lips. "Mmm." Ryan hummed as they separated, "I'm jealous already." "Good." Cloe stated with a confident nod, "That means you want me for yourself and you care about me." "Just call me selfish." Ryan teased before giving her a quick kiss. "Yep…selfish _and_ greedy." Cloe smiled at him, "So, remind me why you suggested that we look for Sharpay's dream boy." "Because we all agreed she needs a boyfriend." Ryan whispered so his sister wouldn't hear. "That's the other thing I like about you." Cloe told him with an affectionate smile, "You're sensitive."

With that, she let go of him and removed herself from his grip. Then, she walked into Rachael's room, leaving Ryan to watch her as she left. Rachael was standing in front of a mirror fiddling with her hair. She was wearing a red tank top, white capris, red high heels, and a white rimmed hat. "Hey." Cloe greeted her. "Oh…hi." Rachael sighed in frustration, "Do you think I should put my hair up or keep it down?" "I say…put it in a low ponytail." Cloe suggested. "Okay." Rachael stated and followed her friend's advice, "Thanks." "No problem." Cloe responded and then asked knowingly, "Are you going to bring Zac?"

"Why?" Rachael questioned curiously. "I just thought you'd like to show Chad that you weren't lying when you said you were dating him." Cloe stated as a matter-of-factly. "You read my mind." Rachael accused her. "I know you too well." Cloe told her, "And I'm thinking he should wear a red t-shirt and blue jeans." Rachael smiled back at her as she retrieved Zac's lamp so she could wake him up and tell him the plan.

Later on, Sharpay and Ryan were still waiting for the others downstairs in the family room. "Where are they?" Sharpay kept asking, "How long does it take for a genie to get dressed? It should take less than a second!" "They're just going over a few things." Ryan reassured his twin sister, who was fidgeting and tapping her foot impatiently. The others finally entered the room with Zac in tow. "Finally!" Sharpay stated before noticing what Zac was wearing, "Nice sneakers, Zac. Let's go."

With that, she headed out the door to Ryan's car, which was now fixed. Rachael followed her out the door. "Wait." Ryan stated, looking at Zac's white sneakers, "Are those mine?" "We needed something last minute." Cloe told him as she led the two guys out to the car, "Please, don't fight." The two boys sighed as they all got in the car and Ryan drove in the direction of East High for the basketball game against the West High Knights. "Zac, I'm really glad you agreed to take our relationship public." Rachael told the genie who was sitting in the back between her and Cloe. "So am I?" Zac responded with a grin, "So, um…what guy are you trying to get to stay away from you?"

Cloe laughed to herself, "You're right, Shar. He _is_ good." "Didn't I tell you?" Sharpay stated from the passenger seat, "You're the psychic one, Angel. You should have known that." "I just think it's easier not to look into things that don't concern me." Cloe said with a shrug, "I kind of want to be surprised once in a while like everyone else." "That's nice and all, but someone owes me an explanation." Zac interrupted before turning to smile at Rachael, "Who's the guy and what has he been doing to get on your nerves?" Rachael sighed as she hooked her arms with his. "Well, his name is Chad Danforth." She began slowly, "And yesterday, he asked Cloe if she was single, then he asked me to go out with him right after that."

Zac laughed to himself at that, "That's a problem. So, what did Ryan do about it?" "I was held back so I couldn't beat him up." Ryan answered as they pulled into the parking lot of East High, "We're here so you guys can do whatever it is you've planned to do before the game." Ryan parked the car and they got out, heading into the school. When they got inside, they stopped outside the gym. "Okay, I'm going in to save us or seats." Ryan informed everyone, "The game starts in a half an hour, so you should have plenty of time to do whatever you want." "I'm going to check the cast list to see if we got the parts." Sharpay stated before walking off in the direction of the cast listings.

"Yeah, Zac and I have a certain jock to deal with, so we'll meet you back here in a bit." Rachael explained as she hooked her arm with Sac's and led him away in the direction of the locker rooms. "Later." Zac called back to them as he was pulled away by Rachael. "Well, I guess that leaves you and me." Cloe smiled as she turned to face Ryan and held up his hand. "Thank goodness." Ryan responded and walked into the gym with Cloe close to him.

Meanwhile…

Sharpay walked down the hallway and stopped a few feet in front of the cast list as she sighed. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the list and almost fainted when she saw the results. Outside the locker room, Zac and Rachael waited for Chad to come out. "You sure it's worth it?" Zac asked Rachael, who nodded eagerly. "He said he wanted to know who I was dating." Rachael explained simply, 'And he didn't believe me, so I'll show him I don't lie about who I date." Just then, the basketball team started to walk out of the locker room and head in the direction of the gym. "Hey, Chad." Rachael called to the jock, who'd just walked out with Troy, "I have someone here who would like to meet you."

The jock paused as he recognized the voice. "Um…Troy, go on ahead, I'll be right there in a minute." Chad stated before turning to face Rachael as Troy hurried towards the gym, "What's up?" Rachael smiled at him as she gestured toward Zac, who waved back. Chad stared at the two as it slowly started to process in his head. His mouth opened and closed a few times trying to form the words he couldn't say. "You…weren't…lying?" Chad finally managed to say, "That's impossible! This can't actually be your boyfriend because…that doesn't happen at all in this…" He stopped there speechless. "Let me clear a few things up for you, okay?" Zac stated slowly, afraid the jock would pass out at any second, "I _am_ Zac Efron, Rachael _is_ my girlfriend, and you should learn to expect the impossible more often."

"Good luck with your game." Rachael told Chad, who stood there in shock as the couple headed towards the gym. "You know…" Rachael said to Zac as they stopped outside the gym doors, "When you go in there, you're going to need a body guard." Zac turned to her and grinned. "They attract too much attention." He smiled at her in a way that made her grin, "Today, I'm here to blend in." He summoned a baseball cap and pulled it on so it just hid the top half of his face. "Let's go meet up with the others." Rachael suggested and took his hand as they walked into the gym, heading for their seats, "I found them." She pointed them out, sitting in seats near to the court so they walked over to Ryan and Cloe. "Hey, guys." Zac greeted them as they sat down, "Nice seats." "So, did you take care of what you needed to get done?" Cloe asked suspiciously. "Yeah." Rachael responded before realizing, "Where's Sharpay?"

"I don't know." Ryan stated slowly, "She said she'd be back after she checked the cast list. Should I be worried?" The four looked at each other before Cloe turned around and noticed Sharpay being led toward them by Zeke Baylor, one of the jocks. "There she is guys." Cloe pointed it out to them, "Zeke's bringing her over here. It looks like she's about to pass out though." Ryan stood up as Zeke approached them. "Hey, Ryan…um…I found your sister staring at the cast list looking like she was about to faint." Zeke explained, helping Sharpay to sit down, "I thought I should bring her back here in case you got worried." "Thanks, Zeke." Ryan smiled warmly at the jock, "Good luck with the game." "Oh, thanks." Zeke responded before rushing off to meet with the rest of the jocks. Ryan sat back down again and turned to his sister, "What happened?"

Sharpay looked up at him sadly, "We lost." "That's it?" Ryan groaned, "We lost to the two worst actors in the school. It's over." "Our reputations are forever ruined all because of those two oblivious, love-sick, lunatics." Sharpay ranted, 'It's not fair. They don't really care about the musical, so they only did it to beat us out. How could they win if they suck?" "I don't know." Ryan muttered, "I just don't know." "Shh…the game's starting." Zac whispered and watched as the East High Wildcats got the ball first.

After the game, the four were still distracted by how two horrible, non-dedicated newbies could beat out the two most serious and dedicated actors. Zac, on the other hand, was practically jumping out of his seat because East High won against West High. "Can we go to the after party?" Zac asked eagerly, "Please, please, please, can we go?" Rachael turned to look at him. "Fine, I'll take you." She promised before turning to everyone else, "Is that okay with you guys?" "Sure." Ryan agreed, "Cloe, you go with them and I'll catch up with you in a bit." "Okay." Cloe said, got up, gave him a quick kiss goodbye, and headed out of the gym with Zac and Rachael tagging along behind her.

"Come one, sis." Ryan said to Sharpay as they stood up, "They're holding the after party in the cafeteria, so we should probably get going." "All right, but I need to talk to someone before we go." Sharpay responded and started walking towards Gabriella. Ryan sighed and followed hoping his sister wouldn't start trouble. Sharpay walked up to Gabriella who turned to face her as she approached. "Well, congratulations." Sharpay stated with a sigh, "I guess I'm going to be the understudy in case you can't make one of the shows so…break a leg." Gabriella's eyes widened as she took in what the bland had said. Did she really want her to break her leg? Sharpay laughed, realizing the brunette had misinterpreted he statement. Amateurs. "In theatre, that means good luck." Sharpay explained with a laugh and walked away. That just proved Gabriella didn't care about acting. Maybe she _would_ break a leg after all.

Suddenly, Zeke stopped both of them in their tracks. "Hey, Sharpay." He said as Sharpay and Ryan just stared at him, "I'm sorry that you didn't get the lead, but I think that you're really good. I admire you so much." "And why wouldn't you?" Sharpay asked him, not wanting to talk, "Now buh-bye." She tried to walk past him and get to the cafeteria, but Zeke stopped her again. "Uh, wait. I baked you some cookies." Zeke pulled out a bag of his homemade cookies and held them out to her. "Ew!" Sharpay stated scrunching up her face as she remembered her diet, and walked away. "Nice game." Ryan told the jock politely taking the cookies. "Thanks." Zeke responded and rushed off. Ryan sighed and followed his sister. They needed to talk about this.

**(A/N) Are my chappies long enough for you? Uh…that was pretty weird how Mrs. Evans and Myrna walked in on Cloe and Ryan. But hey…I needed the parents to have something to worry about, though it all depends on the way you look at it if they should worry or not. Should they have reason to? If so, what's the reason? Okay, so there's one more chappie left. Can anyone guess who Sharpay will end up with…if anyone? Can anyone guess the ending? What should happen? Toss me any ideas and I promise they'll get used eventually, but I can't tell you where they'll be used cuz that would give away the surprise. If you all review, you'll uncover the surprise located in the next chappie. (Hint: it's in the author's note.)**

**Did you know that on the face of a clock the dots are placed at 6 degree intervals all the way around? If you use a protractor to measure the angle from one dot to the center of the clock (where the hands of the clock are connected) to the next dot, you'll see that it creates a 6 degree angle. And the numbers are placed at 30 degree intervals all the way around the clock face (if measured properly). Sry that was random, but I was staring at my clock and doing math at the same time. Ick…math is now becoming part of my life. Sighs.**

**Back on track now, I need about 6 reviews for every chappie posted so far to get at least my limit of 200. I won't post this last chappie until I get at least 200. So, it ends here until I get 200. K? So, you won't hear anymore from me for this fic until then. That means no surprise until I get those little reviews/bribes. Teehee.**

**Thx char for always reviewing for every single chappie! Luv ya! It means so much to me! Hugs. And thx to anyone else who reviewed this far too. Luvers ya too! So press that big review button and leave me a pretty message. vvvvvvvvvvvvarrows are funvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv**


	40. No Day Is Uneventful

**Disclaimer:** This is the last chappie, you already know what I do and do not own, anyone who can tell me will get a virtual pet frog!

**Chapter 40: No Day Is Uneventful**

"Shar." Ryan said to his sister, when they arrived in the cafeteria, "We need to– woah." They stopped and looked around at how the cafeteria was decorated. The tables were removed from the room and the floor and steps of the stairs were covered in fuzzy purple carpeting. The windows were covered by matching purple curtains with the Wildcat mascot on it. The white pillars and the railing on the stairs and upper area of the cafeteria were decorated with red and white streamers. The area where the skaters normally sat was covered with fluffy red and white seat cushions. The kitchen area was decked out with red and white party platters filled to the brim with party foods. There was even a disco ball on the ceiling.

"I don't even recognize this place." Sharpay whispered in awe. "Thanks." They heard Zac's voice from behind them. The twins turned around to see Zac and Rachael walking up to them. "Zac did this." Ryan stated knowingly. "He sure did." Rachael explained proudly, "We got here first and realized that the decorating committee couldn't make it, so we stepped in and Zac touched it up a bit." "Actually, I completely recreated it." Zac began with a smile, "So, do you like it?" "Yeah." Sharpay told him, smiling back, "You're definitely one of us." "It's kind of a…retro funk look." Ryan mused before realizing, "Where's Cloe?" "Boo." Cloe stated as she walked up behind him, "Miss me?" "Oh…yeah, of course I did." Ryan said as he turned to face her with a smile, "Where were you?"

"Oh, I was just hanging out by the sound system I set up in the back." Cloe answered with a smile as she grabbed his hands, "I was programming it so we wouldn't need to worry about changing CDs and stuff." Ryan listened as the music started and a crowd of people walked into the cafeteria excitedly taking in their surroundings. "I think you did an excellent job." Ryan told Cloe, who blushed slightly, "You definitely have excellent taste in music." "I know." Cloe responded with a small smile, "I don't mean to intrude on your thoughts, but it seems like you need to talk to someone _alone_."

"Oh yeah…I almost forgot." Ryan remembered, "You wouldn't mind if I asked you to make sure Zac and Rachael didn't interrupt us, would you?" "Of course not." Cloe reassured him before letting go of his hands and calling, "Zac, Rachael…lets join the party." "Sure." Zac agreed, "Let's blend in a little." "Come on, you two." Cloe laughed, "We'll go mingle." "Just don't mingle with the wrong people." Ryan playfully warned her, "Or I might have to beat them up." "I wouldn't count on it." Cloe giggled and walked off into the crowd behind Zac and Rachael who'd left a few seconds earlier.

Ryan turned to his sister and sighed. "Listen, sis…we need to talk about this sooner or later." He began and Sharpay turned to him, "What's on your mind?" "Think about it, Ryan." Sharpay sighed in confusion, "It just doesn't make any sense. We are the best, most serious, most dedicated, most talented actors in this entire school. And we _still_ get beat by the two most horrible amateurs in the history of horrible amateurs. They _can__'__t_ act more or less sing." "I know that bothers you and it really bothers me a lot, but why are you being so mean?" Ryan asked the blond, who kept staring at him in confusion, "You've been treating a few people very harshly, lately. Even _I_ think you might be overdoing it."

There was a pause in which neither of them spoke, not knowing what to say. Ryan was pretty sure they looked really stupid standing in the middle of a party just staring at each other blankly. Then, he remembered the cookies he'd stashed in his pocket. He pulled them out and handed them to Sharpay, who reluctantly took them. "But Ryan…" she began to complain, 'My diet!" "They're the ones from Zeke." Ryan told her, "You owe it to yourself to try one." "I can't." Sharpay argued, not wanting to risk it, "I just…I–" "Excuse me, Ryan." Cloe interrupted, approaching from behind Sharpay, "There's a slow song coming up next. Do you want to dance with me?"

"I'd love to." Ryan answered gratefully, silently thanking her for showing up at that moment, "And not a moment too soon." "Oh, I'm kind of thirsty." Cloe told him, "Would you mind getting me some punch?" "Not at all." Ryan quickly responded, realizing it was his escape, "Be back soon." With that, he headed in the direction of the punch bowl. "Take your time." Cloe called after him before turning to Sharpay, "Okay, I can sense a little girl talk is needed." "Why would you say that?" Sharpay questioned though she thought she knew the answer. "Remember the reason I talked to you this morning?" Cloe began slowly, "Well, it looks like Troy and Gabriella are official. They were sort of making out near the kitchen." Sharpay's face fell in disappointment, "I knew it. No boy would ever like me. I'm just not good enough."

"Again…you're plenty good enough." Cloe stated reassuringly, "And there is one boy that _really_ likes you, but you don't take much notice of him. He gets the back end of it from you all the time, but does that stop him? No. He keeps on trying." "Who is it?" Sharpay asked curiously. Cloe just smiled at her, "Think about it. He's told you in so many ways about how much he likes you." "Couldn't you just tell me?" Sharpay pleaded with the brunette who shrugged. "I could…but I'm not going to." Cloe answered softly as the music slowed down and Ryan returned with the punch, "Thank you, Ryan." "Let's dance." Ryan told her as he handed her a cup of punch. "Try talking to Zeke." Cloe told Sharpay, "He will know."

With that, Ryan led Cloe farther into the crowd, so they could dance. Sharpay walked over to the seats with the fluffy red and white seat cushions, chose a red one, and sat down to think over to herself what Cloe had said. She fiddled with the cookies in the plastic bag she was holding. Who had told her in multiple ways that they liked her? Who had gone out of their way to try and impress her? And why would Zeke know who it was? She thought about it as she continued to play with the cookies. Who had she always ignored? Who had always gotten the worst of it whenever she was mad? And who moved on and forgave her for it? Then, another question crossed her mind. Why did Zeke bake her cookies? What did Zeke have to do with any of this?

It was all so confusing. Why couldn't a guy just come outright and tell a girl exactly how they felt? Why didn't they just give her gifts and try to make it obvious? Wait…he did make it obvious. Every _day_ he made it obvious. Sharpay opened the bag of cookies and pulled one out. Staring at it, she debated whether or not to eat it. She got up and headed towards the door. The moment she reached it, she sat down outside in the hallway just staring at the cookies, when the door opened and Rachael came out. "What are you doing out here?" Rachael asked curiously, "The party's inside." Sharpay sighed before standing up and handing Rachael the bad of cookies, "I just needed to clear my head. Do you know where Zeke is?" "No…why?" Rachael responded as she looked at the cookies in her hands.

"I just need to talk to him." Sharpay explained quietly, "It's sort of personal." "Oh." Rachael said with a shrug, "Try in the gym. I haven't seen him since the game. Do you want me to take that for you?" Sharpay looked down at the cookie in her hand, "No, I'm going to take this with me." "All right then. Hurry back." Rachael stated with a smile, "Zac's waiting for me back inside, so I better go." "Have fun." Sharpay told her, "I won't be long." Rachael went back inside and Sharpay started heading in the direction of the gym.

Could it actually be possible that Zeke was the one who liked her? She stopped in the middle of the hallway as she stared at the cookie she held. Why shouldn't she just try one? She might actually _like_ it. Sharpay lifted the cookie up to her mouth and slowly took a bite. It almost seemed to melt in her mouth as the flavor tickled her taste buds. Immediately, she started sprinting in the direction of the gym. It was _definitely_ Zeke and she was determined to find him. Maybe she did like him after all. She just hoped that he'd be there.

Meanwhile…

Zeke was standing in the middle of the gym, string at the red balloon in his hands. He was thinking about Sharpay. He knew who _she_ liked and he wasn't all that happy about it. Maybe, since Troy was no longer available, Sharpay would like _him_ instead. No…Sharpay was way too determined to get what she wanted. That was one of the things Zeke liked about the blond. Her determination, that untouchable essence that you could feel radiating from her skin, the way she laughed, it made her all the more attractive. But would she finally notice him? Zeke sighed and took a few steps forward before he heard someone run into the gym sounding out of breath. He looked up and saw Sharpay panting, holding one of his cookies in her hand.

"These cookies are genius." She yelled, "The best things I've ever tasted!" She threw the cookie behind her, staring at Zeke, who was confused. "Will you make some more for me, Zeke?" Sharpay asked before running towards him through the sea of red and white balloons on the floor left over from the game. Zeke, not knowing what to do, backed up a bit as Sharpay lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I might even make you a crème brulée!" Zeke told her with a smile. "Oh!" Sharpay sighed in relief as they stumbled forwards momentarily losing balance. "What made you change your mind?" Zeke asked curiously as Sharpay released her grip, "I thought you'd rather stick pins in your eyes than watch me play ball." "I guess I…" Sharpay began without really having an answer. "It was because of Troy, wasn't it?" Zeke asked knowingly, "I really admire your persistence, but why are you here?"

Sharpay looked at him and took a deep breath before saying what needed to be said. "I'm so sorry for everything I've ever done to hurt you. I never really meant all those mean things I said to you. You have every right to want to hurt me and I probably deserve it." Sharpay said quickly, "Is there any way you could forgive me because I just realized you're a really nice guy who doesn't deserve to like a girl like me?" She took slow relaxing breaths trying to calm down. Zeke just stared at her in shock. Sharpay had just apologized, begged, and complemented him all in one breath. "Sharpay, I…I don't know what to say." Zeke stuttered, still trying to figure out what was going on. "Then don't say." Sharpay panted, "Just do."

With that, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. Zeke had dropped the balloon he'd been holding in surprise. She was actually kissing him…_on__the__lips_! Dreams really did come true. He placed his hands on her waist and kissed her back. Their lips were moving with each other almost molding into one synchronized movement. For a moment, they just stood there connected by the mouth. Zeke pulled back first. Sharpay looked at him surprised, "What's the matter?" "This doesn't feel right." Zeke told her, "I mean, I like it, but we're not together and, if anyone were to come in here and see us…"

"Don't worry." Sharpay stated with a smile, "I know where we can go." She grabbed his hand and led him out of the gym and down the hallway. After going up on flight of stairs, they stopped in front of a door Zeke never remembered seeing before. "No one ever goes in here, but me." Sharpay explained as she opened the door and led Zeke inside, "I usually come in here to practice my routines for the musical, but it can be used for different things as well." Zeke looked around the room at the CD player in the corner, the bean bag chair sitting next to it, and the rack of CDs on the wall above the CD player. "Wow." He said to break the silence. "It's not much, but it's good enough." Sharpay stated as she quietly closed the door and turned back to him, "It used to be a large janitor's closet, but the never got around to fixing it up so I took the liberty of cleaning it and using it."

"What were they going to put in here?" Zeke asked curiously, turning to face Sharpay, "An elephant?" Sharpay giggled, "I don't think so." "It could certainly fit one." Zeke replied as a matter-of-factly. "Maybe a baby one." Sharpay told him quietly, "But I'm pretty sure we didn't come here to talk." "Right, but are we…you know, together now?" Zeke asked hopefully, "Because, you know, if we weren't I –" "I think we're together now." Sharpay told him softly as she moved closer to him and put her arms around his neck, "That is, if you still want to be with me." Zeke put his hands on Sharpay's waist again and pulled her closer. "Every second of every day." He told her and kissed her on the lips.

Sharpay continued to kiss him back, realizing how much she enjoyed being with him. He wasn't like all the other jocks. Zeke was different…confident, persistent, hopeful, everything _she_ was. They were perfect for each other. Soul mates. Sharpay pushed Zeke onto the bean bag chair and she sat on his lap. Zeke continued to pull her closer to his body. He was just as needy as she was. They were both desperate for love, desperate for each other. Exactly alike. Soul mates. Just like Ryan and Cloe; Sharpay broke the kiss. "Oh my gosh!" she suddenly realized, "Ryan! I completely forgot that I was supposed to get back to the party and meet everyone. Oh, I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not." Zeke told her reassuringly, "You're smart, pretty, and we just lost track of time is all." "I have to get back. I promised them I wouldn't be long." Sharpay stated quickly getting up, "We should probably keep this a secret for now." Zeke stood up and they walked over to the door. "So, we're together but we shouldn't tell anyone about us." He quizzed, hoping he understood it. "Yeah, I'm really sorry, but it's only until we're sure things won't blow up in our faces." Sharpay explained apologetically opening the door and they walked out of the closet, closing the door behind them, "I really enjoy being with you, Zeke. I just need time to adjust first."

"I understand." Zeke began to say as they walked down the stairs, "It must be hard for you…since Monday when Theresa abducted you." Sharpay stopped in her tracks and turned to face the jock who also paused to wait for her answer, "What are you talking about?" Zeke sighed, knowing exactly why she was pretending not to know about what he was talking about. "You don't have to pretend or anything." He told her quietly so no one would hear, "I was there. I saw it. I know all about your 'special abilities' and the spell on you. I just want to help." "Tell me what you saw and heard." Sharpay demanded, leading him back up the stairs, "Don't leave out any details."

"Well, I was looking for _you_ and sort of followed you guys when you went outside. When the sky turned purple, I stayed inside trying to figure out what was happening. That was when the vortex opened up and the pigs and monkeys flew out of it. Then, Theresa appeared in mid-air." Zeke told her in a low voice, "I was scared, nervous, concerned, and confused. Then Theresa went on about being locked up for 20 years because she killed a king of some place called…Magicath. Then, I heard about you, Ryan, and Rachael having powers…and that Cloe's psychic. When she said she kidnapped your mothers and was planning to destroy you, I panicked. Then, she said she put a spell on you when you were little that made you…suicidal and depressed. I just want to help you."

Zeke looked her in the eyes, trying to get her to understand how much he really wanted to help her. "Watching you get sucked into the vortex and risk your life for the people you care about made me feel more respecting of you, yet scared for you at the same time." He told the blond, "Listen, Sharpay. I really care about you and I want to be there for all of you as best as I can so please tell me what's going on. I want you to know I'm there to talk to, if you need me." "Did anyone else see or hear anything?" Sharpay asked him quietly, "Does anyone else know about what you saw?" "Nobody was around at the time…and I didn't tell anybody." Zeke responded slowly, "I'm not that kind of guy who cracks at the first sign of danger. Why would you think that?"

"Hey…I _never_ said that." Sharpay responded quickly. "You didn't have to." Zeke retorted as he stepped closer to the blond, "I waited for you to return to school, believing you'd be strong enough to escape, hoping I could ask Cloe or Rachael or someone about what I witnessed and I haven't said anything to anyone, but you. I'm willing to bet most anything that Cloe knows about me knowing." Sharpay remembered that Cloe told her to talk to Zeke and that he would know. "Yeah…she knows." Sharpay sighed, realizing that Cloe wanted him to know for a reason. "Wait, if she's psychic…" Zeke realized, "Does that mean she knows about –"

"She promised she wouldn't meddle in my personal life." Sharpay reassured him, understanding his concern was about their make out. "So am I allowed to be told about what's going on?" Zeke asked her hopefully, "I mean, can't you just mind wipe anyone who overhears us?" "It doesn't work that way." Sharpay laughed softly to herself. "Why not? "Zeke pouted, trying to get her to give him a reason. "It's complicated." Sharpay mumbled, looking down at the floor, "Besides, we've taken care of Theresa. She's locked up, so we're safe for now." "We should probably get back to the party, then, before Cloe decides to sneak a peek at what's taking you so long." Zeke suggested quickly and started to walk past Sharpay, who grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"Wait, Zeke." Sharpay stated, lifting her head up so she could look at him, "Not yet. I don't want to go so soon. I'm sorry about not telling you everything, but you already know everything there is. Please, let's stay here for a few more minutes together." Zeke turned to face her again and walked over to her, looking into her pleading eyes with a straight face. There was a small pause in which he stared at her. "Whatever you say." Zeke smiled at her, "As long as we're alone." "That, I can handle." Sharpay laughed happily as she led him back into the closet.

Meanwhile…

"Where's, Shar?" Ryan asked a bit worried that something had happened to her. "Don't worry, Ryan." Cloe told him, "She's fine. Just try to stay calm and enjoy the party." "You're right, Angel." Ryan responded, taking a deep breath, "Lets find Zac and Rachael before something blows up." Cloe held onto Ryan's arm as they walked through the crowd in the cafeteria while searching for Zac and Rachael. When they'd almost reached the doors, they found the couple kissing as they stood amongst a pile of confetti. "You know…"Ryan said, making the couple separate and look at him, "This time, I won't ask." "You're such a party pooper." Rachael complained in frustration. "Come on." Zac added, "Live a little, Ryan."

"I can't." Ryan answered, "Sharpay isn't here and I can't find her." "Loosen up, Drama Boy." Rachael told him, "I saw her leave a while ago to find Zeke. She'll be back sooner or later." "So, Zeke's the one she's going to break into pieces." Ryan said as he turned to Cloe, "Did someone meddle?" "Yes, but I have a perfectly suitable reason _and_ a well-known reason why I meddled." Cloe objected as the three turned to her with identical expressions of impatience, "The well-known reason is because Zeke totally worships Sharpay and they're exactly alike. The best reason is my suitable one though." "Let's hear it." Ryan stated as the others waited expectantly.

"You'll _love_ this one." Cloe began slowly, "Zeke knows about us…from what Theresa said on Monday." Ryan and Rachael almost passed out in shock. Zac just laughed, "I get it. You told Sharpay to talk to him, so he would tell her what he knew." "Yep." Cloe sighed happily, "They're made for each other…and Zeke really seems to bring out the best in Sharpay. Plus, Sharpay will finally have a boyfriend and she won't need to keep herself from him." "What if she doesn't go for him?" Rachael asked, snapping out of her shock, "What if he spills?" "Well, it's just like with me and Ryan." Cloe explained fondly, "There's a natural attraction between them. Zeke isn't telling anybody anything that would hurt Sharpay. Trust me."

"I'll go for it." Rachael answered with a shrug. "I told you she'd find someone." Zac muttered to Rachael. "Maybe I should look for her." Ryan suggested, "Then we can get the two of them back here." "No." Cloe and Rachael argued back. "If anything, you should call her." Zac suggested quickly, "It saves you from a confrontation and it gives her a chance to pick up. Just don't ask too many questions; she'll be distracted." "I'll go do that." Ryan said, pulling out his phone from his pocket, "Thanks, Zac. I'll be right back." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving the three to look at each other. The girls turned to Zac before Rachael asked him, "How did you get so good?" Zac just shrugged.

Meanwhile…

Sharpay and Zeke were on the floor of the closet. Sharpay was on top of Zeke and they were kissing. "So, have you ever been in a relationship before?" Sharpay asked Zeke when they separated. "No. I uh…" he responded, "I was saving my chances for the right girl. And I think I found her." "That's really sweet." Sharpay cooed before rewarding him with a soft kiss. "So, what about you?" Zeke asked curiously, "Has there ever been a special man in your life that I should know about?" Sharpay giggled at that. "Unless you're counting people I hold close to me for special reasons, then no." she answered with a sigh, "No guy would be crazy enough to actually date me."

"Well, call me crazy." Zeke stated still smiling, "It's too bad all those other guys couldn't see how amazingly wonderful you really are. I guess that means I have you all to myself." He continued to smile at her as he gazed into her soft brown eyes. "You know. You really are one of a kind." Zeke told her softly, "There's no one else out there exactly like you." "No, there are people out there like me." Sharpay retorted quietly, 'They're just looking for the perfect moment to make a move." "Lets just think about right now." Zeke suggested and kissed her on the lips again.

Suddenly, Sharpay's phone rang and Zeke reached into Sharpay's pocket so he could hand it to her. "Oh, it's Ryan." Sharpay complained as she took the phone from Zeke, "He's going to want to know where I am." "Answer it, so he doesn't get suspicious." Zeke suggested softly, "I'll stay quiet." "Okay." Sharpay groaned before answering her phone, "Hey, Ryan." "Oh, Shar…for a minute I thought you weren't going to pick up." Ryan answered her, "I just got worried and wanted to know if you were all right." "Yeah, I'm perfectly fine." Sharpay reassured, "Why were you worried?" "Well, Rachael told me you were coming right back and I haven't seen you." Ryan explained, "Is everything all right?" "Everything's fine, Ryan." Sharpay told him, "There's nothing to worry about. I just need a little time to myself is all."

There was a small pause in which Ryan sighed. "Fine." He said, "As long as I know you're safe. When do you want to leave?" "Late." Sharpay responded, "I'm kind of in the middle of something important, so I'll need some time."

With that, she closed her phone, ending the call. She looked at Zeke with a smile as she dropped her phone and she threw her arms around Zeke's neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "When is 'late' exactly?" Zeke asked her softly with a smile. "Who cares?" Sharpay told him before they kissed each other again, holding each other so close they almost molded into one. As it turned out, fairytales really did have a happy ending and the princess didn't always claim her knight in shining armor…until a better one came along.

**(A/N) 80s music ROCKS! You can tell what I'm listening to right now. WOW! Last chappie! About a year or so later and this fic is finally done (though it took me much less to write it, the posting was just the long part)! WOOT! Congratulations! You finally reached that 200 review deadline/demand thingy! Okay, so what did you think? Here's the deal…you've been waiting for that surprise I mentioned right? _RIGHT?_ Did any of you guess what it was? Well, you don't know yet cuz I said it would be in this note and I haven't told you yet.**

**What would all of you say to a sequel? Yeah, that's right, I just said there's gonna be a _sequel_! What do you think? I'm going to call it Shatter Glass. That's the name of a book my older brother read that I've never heard of before but I thought the title sounded cool so I don't own the title. Teehee. :D But it's gonna be awesome! Can _anyone_ guess what will happen? Does anyone have any ideas, suggestions, or comments so far for me? I'd appreciate them and as I've often said will accept them with open arms.**

**Chocolate frogs for everyone who reviews and I'll post the sequel after I get at least 10 reviews from ppl telling me they wanna see one. K? Trust me…you _will_ want to see it. Cuz it's a-mazing! If I don't say so myself. Teehee. :D So, plz review and tell me what you thought of this whole fic as a story and what you wanna see happen in the sequel and if you want one. It involves a little book I like to call The Evil Overloard's Handbook. Has anyone ever heard of it? When I find the link, I'll post it in the sequel for everyone to look at. K? Luv all yas for reviewing and sticking with this fic 'til the end. Means so much. Hugs! So leave me loads of pretty reviews and I'll see ya'll l8rs!**

**Loads of blessings for all of my many faithful readers. Hope to see you all soon. L8rs!**

**Lots of luv from,**

**Girly 411**

**…** **~ …**

**P.S. For those of you who haven't visited the first chapter of this story in a _very__long__time_and therefore haven't checked for updates on the initial author's note, disclaimer, etc… Congratulations on reading this to the end. If you've made it this far and actually _liked_what you read, you've either written a story like this before, favorited/read/enjoyed stories like this before, or – and this one's my favorite – realized what I was trying to do by writing this horrid story and laughed along with me the entire time. Regardless of which category you've fallen under, I'd suggest you skip back to the first page after finishing this note.**

**As you'll soon find out by reading the FYI on the first page, this story you've just struggled through and read is a horridly accurate parody. Of what, you ask? Well… of all teen fanfictions that are written on the premise of premature out-of-whack hormones. *shrug* Yeah… In case you couldn't already tell. =P I was initially testing you by not pointing it out, but I soon (eventually) realized that was very stupid because _most_ everyone who reviewed tried to take this story seriously and failed. *sigh* Yeah… I apologize for my Fridge Logic. That was stupid of me… so I've fixed the issue.**

**If you've just come back after several years to finish reading the story – or reread it – because I sent you a PM explaining myself and apologizing like a maniac (only less creepily) for unfairly testing you, then I both commend and thank you immensely for giving the story another try. If you're new to the story and this news is a total shock to you? Well… O_o The only thing I can say to that is perhaps you should start reading the author's notes more thoroughly. XD Heheh… ;P**

**Alrighty… As is stated in the FYI on the first page, there's a revamp of this story called "Social Suicide: Revival" on my profile page amongst my other stories. Please do check it out. It's been rewritten to make more sense and it's sort of a parody of this parody… So, essentially a rewrite… only 10 times spoofier and it has much better grammar and formatting and characterization and… You get the point. It also explains a lot more that this one doesn't. There will be an eventual sequel to this story (the true parody)… but for now, consider the revamping # 1½ in the parody "series". K? Heheh…**

**If you choose not to read it, that's okay. You'll be missing out on a lot, but… I can't force you. Thank you to everyone who actually made it this far. A review would be nice so that I know someone's at least gotten my message. I apologize once again for my insanely unfair Fridge Logic. =/ I'm horrible, I know. XP**

**I do hope to hear from you soon. *bows politely* Ciao, my doves! And remember to go back and read the FYI and Official Disclaimer on the first page of this story if you haven't already done so as of 10/21/11. *waves and pads off***

**Original post: 1/31/10**

**Revised: 6/30/11 & 7/8/11**

**Reposted: 10/21/11**


End file.
